Ohio EPA will not finalize proposed data center general permit

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will not finalize a proposed general permit for wastewater discharges from data centers, opting instead to continue using the existing individual permitting process.

The decision follows an extensive public comment period on the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit, during which Ohio agricultural organizations raised concerns about the proposal’s potential impact on water quality protections.

Ohio Farm Bureau applauded the EPA’s decision.

“This is the right decision for our state, and we appreciate Ohio EPA’s willingness to listen to our members’ concerns and maintain their current permitting approach,” said Jack Irvin, vice president of public policy for Ohio Farm Bureau. “The individualized NPDES permitting process, for facilities like data centers, gives regulators the ability to evaluate each project based on its unique circumstances while maintaining Ohio’s work toward water quality.”

According to Ohio EPA, the agency carefully reviewed the significant volume of public comments before determining that the individual NPDES permit issuance process is the most appropriate path forward. Individual permits will continue to provide project-specific review while maintaining the same environmental standards and protections required under state and federal law.

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) also welcomed the announcement, noting that it submitted comments expressing concerns with the proposed general permit and joined other stakeholders in supporting the continuation of the individual permitting process.

Ohio EPA said public participation remains a critical part of its decision-making process and emphasized that the individual permitting system will continue to provide rigorous environmental oversight for future data center projects.