How a lifelong Republican came to lead the data center battle in Ohio

In Ohio, many people are displeased with the state's rapid buildout of data centers. It's a hot issue in the midterms, as political candidates from both parties try to ease voter concerns.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5712x4284+0+0/resize/5712x4284!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3c%2Ffc%2F8b4adba04f2f96cf4d50b206335d%2Fimg-7165.JPG' alt='Nick Owens, an attorney in Brown County, Ohio, stands at the edge of a Mt. Orab neighborhood next to farmland that has been sold to a data center developer. Owens is leading an effort to halt the buildout of hyperscale data centers in communities like this one.'/><p>In Ohio, many people are displeased with the state's rapid buildout of data centers. It's a hot issue in the midterms, as political candidates from both parties try to ease voter concerns.</p><p>(Image credit: Andrea Hsu)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6019276' />