Should Ohio Ban Data Centers? What a Cost Benefit Analysis Actually Found Ft. Rob Moore

Should Ohio ban data centers, or is there a smarter way to handle them? I sat down with Rob Moore, principal of Scioto Analysis, the Columbus firm behind a new cost benefit analysis of Ohio data center policy, to break down what the numbers say.

Ohio voters already sent a message. All 21 local data center ballot measures in Ohio passed on November 3, a clean 0 for 21 for data center development. Rob explains why it is more complicated than "ban them" or "build them."

What we cover:

The energy problem. Rob walks through the scale of energy demand from planned Ohio data center projects and Scioto's estimate of about 16 billion dollars in higher electricity costs for Ohio residents and businesses between 2027 and 2034 if those projects move forward.

The cost almost nobody talks about. Rob argues the bigger number is public health. More coal and natural gas burned for data centers means more particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide in the air. Scioto estimates roughly 41 billion dollars in public health costs, nearly three times the electricity bill impact.

The jobs question. Scioto credits data centers with close to 100,000 new Ohio jobs since 2013, mostly in the businesses built around them. The catch: the first data center in a community brings the biggest boost, and each one after brings less while energy use keeps climbing.

The policy options. A construction ban, moratoriums, and behind the meter requirements, where data centers make their own power instead of drawing from the grid. Rob's top pick: behind the meter power from low and no emission sources, cutting costs while keeping the benefits.

Nuclear, solar, and wind. Why small modular reactors have not delivered on cost, and why solar and natural gas are the fastest ways to add power in Ohio.

Who builds it matters. How community benefit agreements work, and why a Google can deliver more than a crypto operation that flips the site.

The sales tax exemption. How Ohio's data center tax break grew far past its original estimate, and why Governor DeWine paused it.

Water and the backyard question. Closed loop cooling, clawback provisions, the China argument, and why Ohio's cheap, reliable energy draws developers.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Purple Political Breakdown

00:43 Meet Rob Moore of Scioto Analysis

01:44 Biking Central Ohio Trails and Dungeons and Dragons

03:46 A New Policy Era for Ohio After the Midterms

06:53 Ohio Data Center Ballot Issues Go 0 for 21

08:14 What Data Centers Actually Do

10:01 Data Center Energy Use and Ohio Electric Bills

12:39 The 16 Billion Dollar Electricity Cost Estimate

13:11 Air Pollution and Public Health Near Power Plants

14:35 Policy Options: What a Data Center Ban Would Do

15:34 Behind the Meter Power Requirements

17:03 Nuclear Power and Small Modular Reactors

19:01 Why Solar and Natural Gas Lead in Ohio

25:16 Do Ohio Data Centers Create AI Jobs?

29:48 The Data Center PR Problem

32:00 Does It Matter Who Builds the Data Center?

33:39 Community Benefit Agreements and the Resale Problem

35:46 What Happens If Data Centers Become Obsolete?

36:44 How to Structure Economic Development Incentives

38:46 Data Center Water Use and Closed Loop Cooling

40:15 What Is a Data Center Moratorium?

41:39 Ohio's Data Center Sales Tax Exemption

43:39 How Ohio Communities Are Pushing Back

46:35 Rob Moore's Top Data Center Policy Recommendation

49:37 State Versus Local Bans: National Security and China

52:28 Why Developers Choose Ohio

54:47 Data Centers in Space or Underwater?

56:39 The 41 Billion Dollar Public Health Cost

59:22 Final Thoughts

LINKS FROM ROB MOORE AND SCIOTO ANALYSIS

Scioto Analysis data center cost benefit study: https://www.sciotoanalysis.com/news/scioto-analysis-releases-cost-benefit-analysis-of-data-center-policies-in-ohio

Scioto Analysis newsletter: https://www.sciotoanalysis.com/newsletter

Rob's Ohio Capital Journal commentary on Ohio's new policy era: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/11/09/acton-win-heralds-new-policy-era-for-ohio/

Rob's Ohio Capital Journal commentary on data center property tax incentives: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/09/18/should-the-state-of-ohio-ban-property-tax-incentives-for-data-centers/

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