{
  "id": 18876740,
  "title": "A town of 6,600 people took on a $900 million AI data center — and won. Here's how they did it.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/a-town-of-6-600-people-took-on-a-900-million-ai-data-center-and-won",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-08T06:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Guide",
    "slug": "tom-s-guide",
    "url": "https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/a-town-of-6-600-people-took-on-a-usd900-million-ai-data-center-and-won-heres-how-they-did-it"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A small town in Ohio, with a population of just 6,600 people, recently made headlines for its successful opposition to a $900 million AI data center and a natural gas power plant. Upper Sandusky, located in northwest Ohio, saw 77% of its voters approve a measure prohibiting the construction of large data centers within city limits. The campaign was led by Angela Huffman, a resident and organizer with the national nonprofit Farm Action. Initially, Huffman and her team had collected 301 valid signatures, but discovered they needed 155 to put the ban on the ballot. With time running out, they were 20 signatures short. The proposal raised concerns about electricity, water, infrastructure, and the long-term future of the community. Huffman, whose family has farmed in the area for six generations, saw the project as a threat to their rural way of life. After the proposal was withdrawn, the community secured a six-month moratorium, which gave them time to draft a charter amendment prohibiting data centers with an electrical demand exceeding 25 megawatts within the city limits. The amendment was approved by voters in November, making Upper Sandusky an unlikely hero in the fight against large-scale infrastructure projects.",
  "summary": "A small Ohio town voted to restrict large AI data centers after a $900 million proposal sparked months of organizing. An organizer explains how they succeeded.",
  "key_points": [
    "Upper Sandusky, Ohio, town of 6,600 people, opposed $900M AI data center.",
    "77% of voters approved measure prohibiting large data centers in city limits.",
    "Charter amendment prohibiting data centers with 25MW electrical demand passed in November."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}