A bipartisan bill filed in Congress Sept. 24 would ban government NDAs on data center projects, targeting the secrecy that sparked pushback in Liberty Township, Trenton and other Butler County communities.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, introduced the No Secrets for Data Centers Act alongside Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. The bill has two main provisions. It would void non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by government officials that hide details of a data center project. It would also bar companies from accepting government subsidies if secrecy is a condition of the money, excluding filings reasonably considered trade secrets.

"These big tech companies come in, they get public officials to sign NDAs, and then community members have no idea what's happening until it's too late," Landsman told WCPO 9 on Sept. 25.

The bill lands in a competitive race for Ohio's 1st Congressional District, where Landsman faces Republican challenger Eric Conroy, a former Air Force captain and CIA officer.

Conroy's campaign signaled likely support but took shots at Landsman in the process. Campaign manager Collin Wojcik said in a written statement to WCPO that Conroy believes data center deals should be fully transparent and free of NDAs. Wojcik added that Conroy would need to vet the legislation closely, alleging Landsman has a record of "corruption and enriching himself in Congress." Those allegations were not supported by independent sourcing in the WCPO report.

The bill arrives as communities across the region push back against data center expansion. In Trenton, the city withdrew its petition to annex more than 600 acres for an Amazon data center. Construction on Project Mila, a 141-acre campus developed by California-based Prologis in Trenton's industrial park, had already begun. Prologis purchased the property for roughly $7.7 million, WCPO reported.

Trenton resident Barry Blankenship helped organize the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance, or W.A.T.E.R., a group pushing local leaders to halt Project Mila.

In Liberty Township, the Zoning Commission approved a zoning change in July requiring data center projects to go through the planned unit development process, giving trustees the power to approve or reject projects case by case. Trustee President Todd Minniear said before the July vote that his biggest concerns are energy use, water consumption and noise, and called a data center being approved in the largely residential township "a long shot."

Gov. Mike DeWine announced in May 2026 that Ohio would pause consideration of new data center tax exemptions. The Ohio Consumers' Council reports the state already has more than 200 operational data centers, with about 80 more proposed or planned, according to WCPO.

Trenton voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve a charter amendment banning data centers over 25 megawatts within city limits. No committee hearing date for Landsman's bill has been announced.