Rick Platt, JobsOhio board member and president and CEO of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority, argues in a Columbus Dispatch guest column that the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is right to reject the claim that data centers alone are driving higher electric bills.

Instead, he points to a utility structure that rewards inflated demand projections and exposes weak accountability for monopoly utilities. Platt warns that building major electric infrastructure around speculative data center load is a risky bet, especially if technological advances reduce future power needs, and says the greater danger is leaving other customers to pay for stranded investments. He also argues Ohio should not reverse course on electricity deregulation.

“Ohio customers should not be forced to finance infrastructure built on wishful thinking, inflated forecasts and utility self-interest,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. 3/16/2026