A proposed data center in Guernsey County, Ohio, could be built despite opposition from county commissioners.The project was first proposed by Smart Energy Partners and local real estate agent Jason Miller on June 9 in a presentation to county commissioners.During the session, commissioners were given a “general description” of the proposal, but no location was given.Commissioners requested additional details from the developer, including information about the potential economic and environmental impact of the project.However, under local laws, Ohio county commissioners only possess specific powers granted to them by the state legislature, meaning that without a voter-approved local zoning resolution, local commissioners are unable to regulate land use on a county-wide basis.According to commissioners, a private landowner, in this case Miller, can legally sell land to a data center developer, which can move forward without seeking local land-use permission.In short, commissioners believe they have no legal authority to deny or approve the project.Despite this, in a statement, Guernsey County commissioners said there was “not enough positive economic growth” to justify its support and they would not offer any tax abatements or infrastructure assistance to the development – powers that are under their control.“Those things won’t happen,” board of commissioners president, Jack Marlin, said. “The commissioners believe it unwise to support a data center proposal without knowing what Ohio law will ultimately allow and how it will impact our community.“If a developer wants a data center in Guernsey County, they’ll have to do it without tax abatements and through a private land sale.”Local opposition isn’t just coming from the commissioners. On June 19, more than 50 local residents met at the Red Roof Inn in Cambridge, Guernsey County, to establish a “coordinated strategy aimed at protecting the county’s agricultural land, infrastructure, and ecological resources.”In a press release, newly formed citizen pressure group, Guernsey County & Ohio: Data Center Developments, said it recognized that commissioners' hands are “legally tied despite their public opposition,” and called for local citizens to step in to fill the “regulatory void through direct community organization.”"The commissioners have taken a strong, commendable stand, but their verbal opposition cannot serve as a legal shield under Ohio law," said Amy Kissinger, co-leader of Guernsey County & Ohio: Data Center Developments."That is exactly why this citizen-led coalition is necessary. We are organizing to provide the groundwork, research, and unified voice required to protect our county. We want to be clear: Guernsey County is open to sustainable, responsible economic growth, but we will not sit idly by while our agricultural heritage, critical water sources, and local wildlife are permanently compromised for a project that fails to benefit our people."Although the project’s location is still under wraps, the citizen advocacy group speculated that the site would be in the region’s “unique reclaimed strip-mine habitats and mature forests.”Among other concerns around utility and ecological threats allegedly posed by the data center, the group also said the development could affect a local conservation center, The Wilds.Smart Energy Partners provides end-to-end consulting for data center development and energy infrastructure. In an emailed statement to local news, Smart Energy Partners CEO Rich Stokey, said that discussions were still in the early stages.“Some early conversations have occurred around threshold questions such as site characteristics, potential fiber access, natural gas availability, power options and whether a project could theoretically be evaluated in a responsible way,” Stokey said, “they are not the same as a development plan.”