Data to Death: The Extraction, Silence, and Death of Adams County

Adams County, Ohio, population 27,000, lost its power plants in 2018. Then the jobs left. The young people left. The county learned to wait.

In 2026, a data center developer arrived—1,300 megawatts, 31 times the county’s electricity use, 50 permanent jobs. The commissioners waited. The developer hid behind NDAs. But the residents refused to wait.

They packed meetings. Demanded answers. Launched a statewide ballot initiative to ban large data centers.

DATA TO DEATH: The Extraction, Silence, and Death of Adams County is the story of a community that said no to extraction—and the fight to save their home before the hum begins.