Key developments
Google announces $15B Missouri data center
Google will invest $15 billion in a Montgomery County, Missouri data-center project, Gov. Mike Kehoe announced on May 22, 2026. Under Missouri Senate Bill 4, Google said it will pay for the electricity it consumes and any new infrastructure needed for the build, and it has contracted with Ameren for more than 1 gigawatt of new generation capacity. The company also pledged a $20 million Energy Impact Fund for households in Montgomery County and surrounding areas and said it will use advanced air-cooling to keep water use mostly to non-industrial needs.
Why it matters
It is one of the largest new U.S. data-center commitments and could reshape regional power and incentive policy.
Sources & driving stories
BROADBAND BREAKFAST · Georgina Mackie
Broadband Breakfast coverageOhio data-center tax break far overshoots forecast
Ohio's sales-tax exemption for data centers cost the state about $554.9 million in 2024 and $1.5687 billion in 2025, according to new actual-cost data released this week by the Department of Taxation. Local sales-tax losses added another $166.8 million in 2024, far above earlier forecasts that had pegged 2025 costs at $136 million. The figures intensify scrutiny of the exemption after lawmakers tried to repeal it, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed the repeal, and a special House committee was formed to investigate the program.
Why it matters
The exemption has become a billion-dollar budget item and may force Ohio to revisit how it subsidizes data-center buildout.
Sources & driving stories
THE VINDICATOR
The Vindicator coverageCalifornia water-disclosure bills advance for data centers
Rachel Becker of Times of San Diego reported that a Next10 and Santa Clara University study found California data-center water use is still largely hidden from the public, with few environmental review documents posted online and many details on cooling systems and water sources missing or vague. Assemblymember Diane Papan is pushing two bills in response: one would require operators to report estimated or actual water use to water suppliers and local governments, and another would block approvals unless developers disclose water plans, including extra limits in overdrafted basins. Both measures cleared a key legislative hurdle this week.
Why it matters
California could become a test case for mandatory data-center water transparency in a rapidly growing data-center market.
Sources & driving stories
TIMES OF SAN DIEGO · Rachel Becker
Times of San Diego coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Cleveland weighs year-long data-center moratorium
City Council member Charles Slife wants a pause while zoning rules are rewritten, after resident pushback on a proposed $1.6 billion project in Slavic Village.
WORTH NOTING
Utah data-center fight turns conspiratorial
Kevin O'Leary accused Utah critics of CCP ties as opposition to the Stratos campus centers on water, emissions and local control.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Can states get transparent water data before approving more campuses?
California's reporting gap and proposed disclosure laws show regulators still lack basic data for siting decisions in stressed basins.
OPEN QUESTION
Will Ohio cap the tax exemption?
Actual costs far exceeded forecasts, but repeal efforts have stalled after the governor's veto.