Pennsylvania: Proposes a three-year moratorium on hyperscale data center construction including associated power generation and transmission infrastructure. Multiple legislators involved: Sen. Katie Muth, Sen. Rosemary Brown (R) who supports restricting data centers to industrial zones, and Rep. Jamie Walsh (R) who plans a separate regulatory package. Bipartisan opposition with over 50 planned data centers facing resistance from community groups across the state.
Ohio: HB 706 bans utilities from recovering data center infrastructure costs by shifting them onto other customers and requires long-term service agreements of at least 12 years. Mirrors AEP's existing tariff requiring data centers to cover 85% of energy costs. Senate Democrats introduced additional bills to eliminate tax breaks, require developers to cover infrastructure costs, and impose greater oversight. Around 18 municipalities have enacted local moratoriums on data centers.
SB 232 would have imposed a one-year moratorium on construction or expansion of hyperscale data centers in South Dakota. The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 5-3 to table the bill on February 18, 2026, with opponents arguing statewide moratoriums improperly limit local government authority. Instead, the legislature passed SB 135, which prohibits the state from limiting local governments' authority to regulate or ban data centers, shifting regulatory power to municipalities and counties.
Multiple Minnesota data center bills are in play. Sen. Jen McEwen (DFL-Duluth) introduced legislation imposing a two-year moratorium on new hyperscale data center permits while the state studies long-term effects. Sen. Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley) pursued legislation to prohibit NDAs for data centers and end tax exemptions. Per MultiState's March 2026 tracker, none of the statewide moratorium proposals have passed their originating chamber, though NDA bans have gained traction in committees. Hundreds of opponents rallied at the State Capitol on Feb 18-20, 2026. The City of Eagan passed a one-year moratorium, believed to be the first Minnesota municipality to take such action. Previously, HF 16 (2025 special session) passed and was signed into law (effective June 15, 2025), establishing initial data center regulations. VERIFIED 2026-05-26: Minnesota adjourned sine die May 18, 2026; the statewide moratorium proposals all failed to pass the divided legislature.