Rep. Rader Applauds Ohio EPA Decision to Require Individual Wastewater Permits for Data Centers

COLUMBUS — Representative Tristan Rader (D–Lakewood) today welcomed the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to not finalize a proposed statewide general wastewater discharge permit for data centers, opting instead to require individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for facilities that discharge wastewater.

The decision follows significant public feedback raising concerns that a blanket permit would not provide adequate oversight for facilities that can consume and discharge millions of gallons of water while operating complex industrial cooling systems.

“The Ohio EPA has made the right decision,” said Rep. Rader. “When you’re talking about facilities that can use millions of gallons of water each day, the public deserves project-specific oversight—not blanket approvals. Every data center is different, and every project should demonstrate it can meet rigorous environmental standards before discharging wastewater into Ohio’s rivers and streams.”

Under the agency’s decision, each proposed data center that seeks to discharge wastewater will continue to undergo an individual permit review, allowing for site-specific environmental analysis, public notice, and opportunities for community input.

“Ohio’s water is too valuable to gamble with,” Rep. Rader added. “We are blessed with the Great Lakes and abundant freshwater resources that many states would do anything to have. That water belongs to the people of Ohio and everyone who calls the Great Lakes Basin home—not corporate balance sheets. We have a duty to choose stewardship over corporate greed, to protect one of our state’s greatest treasures, and to ensure that generations from now, our children and grandchildren can look back and say we protected Ohio’s water instead of giving it away.”

This decision is an important step toward ensuring that large industrial facilities receive the careful environmental review needed to protect Ohio’s water resources for generations to come.