# HBAC #140: Paul Lambert and Cathy Cowan Becker - Data Center Interregnum

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hilliard-beacon-podcast-6738112/hbac-140-paul-lambert-and-cathy-cowan-becker-data-center-interregnum
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hilliard-beacon-podcast-6738112/hbac-140-paul-lambert-and-cathy-cowan-becker-data-center-interregnum.md
Podcast: [The Hilliard Beacon Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hilliard-beacon-podcast-6738112)
Published: 2026-01-19T20:31:31+00:00
Episode link: https://hilliardbeacon.substack.com/p/hbac-140-paul-lambert-and-cathy-cowan
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/184713082/98799c6966b36cb3d157146c3513da4f.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3303

## Resource

As Hilliard faces fast-approaching deadlines tied to state and federal permitting for the proposed Amazon data center along Scioto-Darby Road, local advocates Paul Lambert and Cathy Cowan-Becker joined the us to outline the rapidly escalating number of changes affecting community interests, state-level legislation, and the energy demands of hyperscale data infrastructure. The immediate concern centers on a pending Ohio EPA air permit that would authorize approximately 150 Tier 2 diesel generators at the Hilliard site. The draft permit, now open for public comment, has heightened fears about air quality, particulate pollution, and the proximity of large-scale industrial equipment to homes, schools, and parks. A Regional Pattern Cowan-Becker emphasized that Hilliard is far from alone. Across Central Ohio, municipalities and townships are increasingly moving to slow or halt data center development altogether. Within the past several months, Jerome Township enacted a nine-month moratorium on data centers, while Washington Township adopted a 90-day pause and urged Dublin to follow suit. In Dublin, resident opposition has delayed plans in the West Innovation District, with the most recent proposal scheduled for January discussion excluding data centers entirely . Further south, South Bloomfield and Ashville approved a six-month moratorium , and in Wilmington, a proposed Amazon facility has generated enough resistance to table a planning vote amid organized community opposition. While these actions do not permanently block projects, both guests noted that they buy time for residents to organize, educate themselves, and signal political resistance which is sometimes enough to cause developers to abandon sites altogether. Federal Retreat, Local Accountability? The discussion al…

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