As electric bills and executive pay at utility and AI companies spike, Ohioans are questioning why they’re being forced to subsidize data centers.
A panel of economists surveyed on the issue last week said the subsidies are a bad idea. But they also said one of the strongest responses — banning construction of large new centers — is a bad idea, too.
The outsized power of utilities has been a sore spot in Ohio at least since 2020, when federal prosecutors revealed that Akron-based FirstEnergy had paid $61 million in bribes to get a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout. Far from stopping the scheme, Gov. Mike DeWine’s top regulator played a prominent role in drafting the corrupt bailout legislation…