FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 5, 2026
Data Centers Not Welcome in Athens County
ATHENS, OHIO– On Tuesday, August 4, Athens County Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that states, “the county cannot support the building of or the resources needed to fulfill the needs of the development of Data Centers.”
Roxanne Groff and Heather Cantino, who both serve on the Advisory Board for Buckeye Environmental Network, a statewide environmental justice nonprofit, and organize locally with Athens County’s Future Action Network, collaborated on a proposed resolution, which Cantino presented to the Commission at its July 28 meeting.
“It’s clear our commissioners understand the extraordinary burden on a community and the landscape and resources destruction by data centers,” said Groff, a former Athens County Commissioner who has been organizing her community around environmental justice issues, including coal mines and Class II injection wells, for decades. “We applaud them for getting out in front of serious inquiries and letting it be known they are not welcome in Athens County,”
The Commissioners determined this emergency resolution was necessary in order “to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents of Athens County from exposure to the long term negative environmental and financial impacts data centers impose on surrounding communities.”
The County-level resolution is non-binding, as Athens County has no zoning, but it sends a strong message about where the Commissioners stand, and some municipalities within the County are taking action at the local level where communities have different tools available to protect against data centers.
Athens Township Trustees voted last Saturday to halt approval of zoning permits for a proposed data center for up to a year, according to Athens County Independent, and Athens City Council had a first reading Monday night of a proposed moratorium on data centers for up to one year.
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ABOUT BUCKEYE ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) is a non-profit committed to empowering grassroots organizations, individuals, and local communities to advocate for environmental justice. Through community action and ecological protection, we seek fundamental changes that improve our relationships with each other and the land.
Contact Information
Roxanne Groff
Advisory Board Member
Buckeye Environmental Network
info@benohio.org