Key developments
Ohio data center tax break tops $1.5 billion
Ohio Department of Taxation's new actual figures show the state's data-center sales-tax exemption cost about $554.9 million in 2024 and $1.5687 billion in 2025, far above the prior $136 million forecast. The break is used by major operators including Meta, Alphabet and Amazon, and the revenue shock is intensifying debate after Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed repeal legislation and lawmakers formed a special committee to investigate data centers. Local sales taxes added another $166.8 million in lost revenue in 2024.
Why it matters
The actual cost could force Ohio to rethink one of its largest data-center subsidies.
Sources & driving stories
CBS NEWS PITTSBURGH
CBS News Pittsburgh coverageGoogle unveils $15 billion Missouri buildout
Google said it will invest $15 billion in data-center infrastructure in New Florence, Montgomery County, Missouri, calling it one of the state's largest technology investments. The package includes a $20 million Energy Impact Fund, workforce training, and utility planning tied to more than 1 gigawatt of existing generation contracts and support for more than 500 megawatts of additional capacity with Ameren. Google said the site will use advanced air cooling and that Missouri Senate Bill 4 will cover electricity usage and related infrastructure costs.
Why it matters
It signals a major new hyperscale commitment in the Midwest, paired with utility and community spending.
Sources & driving stories
PULSE2 · Amit Chowdhry
Pulse2 coverageLittle Rock drafts rules for hyperscale data centers
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. sent draft data-center regulations to the city board on May 19, with a vote set for June 2. The ordinance would create three size tiers, including hyperscale facilities above 250,000 square feet or 50 megawatts, and the Google-linked Port of Little Rock project would likely exceed 100 megawatts across about 1.43 million square feet. The rules would require setbacks, air or high-efficiency liquid cooling, bans on primary groundwater wells for cooling, and limits on chemically treated cooling-water discharge.
Why it matters
It could set a detailed local precedent for permitting large data centers and shape a major Google-linked project.
Sources & driving stories
NWAONLINE
NWAonline coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
EPA sidesteps Stratos permitting fight
Lee Zeldin said the EPA would not interfere in Utah's state process even as protesters targeted the proposed 40,000-acre Stratos data center and regulators said no air permit application had been filed yet.
WORTH NOTING
Fermi co-founder seeks board shake-up
Toby Neugebauer is pressing for a special shareholder meeting and a strategic review of Project Matador, which could change the company's ownership or capital plan.
WORTH NOTING
Otoe County pauses new data centers
Nebraska's Otoe County imposed a temporary moratorium for up to a year, signaling that more local governments may tighten data-center rules.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will Ohio revisit the exemption?
The new actual cost figures are so far above forecasts that lawmakers may come under pressure to narrow or repeal the data-center sales-tax break.
OPEN QUESTION
Will more counties adopt moratoria?
Nebraska's pause, along with emerging local rules in other states, suggests the permitting landscape could fragment further before large projects move ahead.