Timberlake Mayor John Marra provided the following written testimony to the State Select Committee on Data Centers on June 8, 2026
Co-Chair Holmes, Co-Chair Chavez, and members of the Special Committee on Data Center
After listening to all the testimonies these past 2 weeks, I have some major concerns.
To address the largest of residence concerns. Mega-data centers should not be built next to residential neighborhoods. As we all know, these facilities operate 24 hours a day, generate constant noise, consume enormous amounts of electricity and require massive supporting infrastructure.
No mega-data center should be located within five miles of an existing residential neighborhood unless at least 75 percent of local voters approve it.
We also need to acknowledge what we don’t know. These hyperscale data centers are a relatively new phenomenon, and there is very little long-term research on the cumulative impacts of facilities of this size when located near residential communities.
“Across Ohio, communities are passing moratoriums because they feel they have lost control. Perhaps we’re approaching this backwards. Instead of requiring communities to vote data centers out, Ohio should require communities to vote them in. Data centers should be opt-in, not opt-out.”
Per PJM’s testimony, Data center demand is growing much faster than new generation is being built. We continue hearing promises about future natural gas generation and future small modular reactors, but those projects as we have heard from PJM are years away creating a gap in demand.
No large data center should be approved until dedicated behind-the-meter generation is operational.
Another concern is that many of the solutions being proposed to address water consumption, wastewater discharge, noise, and environmental impacts come with their own tradeoffs. Closed- loop cooling systems, advanced water treatment, recycling systems, additional pumping, and other mitigation technologies all require additional electricity to operate. In many cases, solving one problem simply increases energy consumption somewhere else. As a result, the true
electrical demand of these facilities extends beyond the servers themselves and places even greater pressure on an already strained grid.
In the meantime, Ohio should focus on permanent energy-efficiency programs instead of relying on intermittent demand response programs that inconvenience customers , I propose a state backed statewide efficiency program where Ohio provides rebates, grants and tax credits to homeowners and businesses who replace older HVAC systems, water heaters, refrigerators, and other inefficient appliances with high-efficiency models that would permanently reduce electricity demand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That saved capacity could help bridge the gap until data centers bring their own power generation online. The cleanest megawatt is still the one you never have to generate.
Perry currently produces approximately 1,268 megawatts of electricity, while Davis-Besse produces approximately 908 megawatts. Under the agreement, Meta has secured long-term contractual rights associated with the output of both plants—2,176 megawatts of existing Ohio nuclear generation.
Meta is also funding uprates that would add another 213 megawatts at Perry and 80 megawatts at Davis-Besse, bringing the total associated generation to approximately 2,469 megawatts.
We’re told these agreements are necessary to save nuclear power, yet Perry is already licensed through 2046, Davis-Besse through 2037, and Vistra has announced plans to pursue additional 20-year license extensions for both facilities.
The Meta agreement involving Perry and Davis-Besse has already been signed, and it should serve as a wake-up call.
We’re told these agreements are necessary to save nuclear power. But let’s remember the facts.
The threat to these plants was never that they were wearing out or incapable of producing power. The concern was economics, market conditions, and the fallout surrounding the HB 6 scandal.
Today, Perry is licensed through 2046, Davis-Besse through 2037, and Vistra is pursuing additional 20-year license extensions. These plants were already expected to continue operating for decades.
So if these plants were not in danger of shutting down, what is the actual net benefit to Ohio ratepayers?
The larger concern is what precedent this sets. If future hyperscale data centers continue securing long-term rights associated with Ohio’s existing baseload generation before equivalent new generation is built, what does that mean for Ohio families, businesses, electric rates, and grid reliability?
That leads to a simple question: Who should have first claim on Ohio’s existing baseload power—the families and businesses already here, or the next hyperscale data center?
Finally, I believe Ohio should reconsider the special sales-tax exemptions and property-tax abatements granted to hyperscale data centers.
Throughout this process, I listened to testimony from Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. What struck me was how often they answered questions as a team. If one company didn’t have an answer, another stepped in to support the broader industry position. Yet despite that cooperation, these companies are not partners—they are competitors competing for customers, market share, power, land, and infrastructure.
If these projects are truly as valuable as their developers claim, they should be able to compete without extraordinary public subsidies.
These incentives were created to attract investment, but today Ohio is seeing unprecedented data center growth while simultaneously facing concerns about electricity demand, infrastructure costs, and lost tax revenue.
Reducing or eliminating these incentives may result in fewer projects, but the projects that do move forward would generate substantially more revenue for Ohio taxpayers, local governments, schools, and public services.
Ohio should not be giving away its tax base while being asked to expand generation,
transmission lines, roads, water infrastructure, and other public resources to support private development.
Let these companies compete. Just don’t ask Ohio taxpayers to subsidize the competition.
Thank you,
John Marra
Mayor, Village of Timberlake
Lake County, Ohio
Categories: Community Activism, Contributors, Lake County - General