Vivek Ramaswamy proposed requiring new Ohio data centers to provide residents with free electricity and lower property taxes. He said the facilities should reduce household costs rather than increase them. Ramaswamy also proposed restrictions protecting farmland and environmental standards for future projects. The proposal came during a public exchange about rising electricity costs near data centers.
Ramaswamy shared a video of the exchange on X after an audience member raised concerns about electric rates. Ramaswamy said data center development ranks among the biggest concerns he hears from Ohioans. He argued that electricity costs and property taxes should be addressed together.
He said data centers should not receive property tax abatements. Their property taxes should instead help reduce costs for residential property owners. He also said facilities should put more energy into the grid than they consume.
“You’re gonna get free residential electricity,” Ramaswamy said. He said taxpayers would not fund the benefit. Instead, it would come from excess reserves that data centers bring in behind the meter.
Ramaswamy also proposed protecting fertile farmland by directing projects toward abandoned industrial sites. He called for clean air, clean water and greater transparency during the approval process. Data centers failing to meet those conditions would not be built, he said.
Vivek Ramaswamy Faces Pushback Over Ohio Data Center Plan
The proposal drew skepticism about whether Ramaswamy could deliver the promised benefits and how communities would handle future development. “You are a flip flop person who will say anything,” one user wrote. Another asked, “Is this just your pre election/win favor plan or your actual plan?”
Others questioned both the electricity promise and continued construction of data centers. “There’s no way in reality to achieve your plan,” one response stated. Another wrote, “So you’re still going to build data centers in communities… total snake..”
Some users supported parts of the proposal despite the criticism. “I like what you said about using abandoned industrial lots instead of farmland,” one wrote. Another stated, “I have heard Vivek’s plan, and it is a good one.”
Ramaswamy said he wants statewide legislation establishing those conditions for future data centers. His remarks did not detail the legislation needed to deliver free residential electricity. The proposal therefore remains tied to what lawmakers and utilities would ultimately have to implement.
