The city of Hilliard has withdrawn its appeal of an Ohio Environmental Protection permit for a natural-gas powered fuel-cell facility at the Amazon data center off Scioto Darby Road near Interstate 270.
In a statement Tuesday, Hilliard City Council President Emily Cole said withdrawing the appeal is not an endorsement for the 72.9-megawatt solid oxide fuel cell facility at the Amazon Web Services data center campus.
"From the beginning, we knew this would be an uphill battle because state law intentionally gives local communities very limited authority over facilities like this," Cole said. "Even so, we believed we owed it to our residents to pursue every available option."
Residents have raised health concerns about fuel cell emissions. The city filed its administrative appeal with the Environmental Review Appeals Commission in 2025.
The city asked for two studies that indicate air quality impacts from fuel cell operations are expected to remain below established health and safety thresholds.
The city plans to conduct air quality testing after the fuel cells become operational.
