Ronda Saunders has a white house with a red roof, a red barn with a white roof, and red and white beef cows in her field.
The cows lumber across a green-brown field when called by Saunders, who shakes a bucket of “cow cookies.” Daisy, a herding dog, trots alongside them.
Saunders and her husband have been farming off Lancaster Road in Granville for almost four decades. The farm is located about 10 miles from Intel’s “Silicone Heartland” construction site in New Albany, which is set to house two semiconductor manufacturing plants.
Saunders worries about the potential air pollution. She also fears water shortages, especially after last year’s drought. She spent the summer trying to conserve water, taking short showers and postponing power washing the barn. She had to buy hay for the first time in years.
“So, with all the stuff that Intel is going to put in the atmosphere, I worry whether our cows are going to be good enough to eat and whether our fish are going be okay to eat,” Saunders said. Regarding the water issue, she added, “If you drain one part of the bathtub, the other part of the bathtub goes dry, too.”
Then there’s the increased traffic on Saunders' road, which she’s already seeing.
“Our fence gets hit about nine times a year,” she said.
Saunders, however, is not worried that the $28 billion project has been delayed by at least five years. Tech giant Intel had originally said the semiconductor fabrication plants, or “fabs,” could be operational by this year. Now the plants are slated to begin production in 2030 or 2031.
“I'm glad that it's going to take longer, because it will give the county time to play catch-up,” Saunders said.
Saunders isn’t alone in that thinking. Five miles closer to the Intel construction site, in Alexandria, Allison Riggs is also happy that project is delayed.
“It seems very disorganized. It feels unhealthy, and those are signs to me that these are red flags,” Riggs said.
“I don’t know if we’re asking the right questions."- Allison Riggs of Alexandria
Riggs is a mother and raises sheep on land that’s been in her family for more than 130 years. Like Saunders, she’s worried about the environment and the unknown long-term health effects of the fabs.
Riggs and some neighbors created the website Save Licking County to share information about Intel and other developments that have cropped up in its wake, including asphalt and concrete plants and wastewater treatment facilities. Riggs said some locals feel like they haven’t had a seat at the table as development sweeps through the county. She wants elected officials and decisionmakers to pause and consider the ramifications.
“I don’t know if we’re asking the right questions. And then, obviously, with Intel having financial difficulties and leadership challenges, were we missing asking the question of, you know, is this company reputable?” Riggs asked.
Last year, as Intel’s stock prices plummeted, the company laid off about 15% of its workforce – more than 17,000 employees. CEO Pat Gelsinger abruptly retired in December, leaving the company essentially leaderless until earlier this month when Lip-Bu Tan took the helm.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to end the CHIPS and Science Act, a Biden-era law that looked to boost U.S. semiconductor production. The New Albany project is supposed to draw on the more than $7 billion in CHIPS funding earmarked for Intel, but it’s not clear what will happen to that money.
“What we hear from Intel is the company line, which is that we're still building, just building slower and moving ahead,” said Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb. “There's a limit to what they're gonna say because obviously there’s an awful lot in play with the future of the company and the future of these manufacturing sites here.”
Bubb said the county still has a good relationship with Intel and he personally believes these fabs will eventually be finished. Still, he said when Intel announced its “Silicone Heartland” project in New Albany in 2022, a lot of “bold promises” were made about employing some 3,000 people and beginning manufacturing by 2025.
“And as it turns out, most of those were a little pie in the sky,” Bubb said.
Bubb said with Intel's layoffs, it’s no wonder the company is also cutting back on construction costs in Ohio. Intel has already spent around $3.7 billion in New Albany and has signed another $3.2 billion in contracts, according to the Feb. 27 letter from Intel to the Ohio Department of Development that mentioned delaying the completion of the plants.
The state of Ohio has given Intel around $600 million in onshoring grants.
Nevertheless Bubb, like the others, said pushing back the opening of the fabs isn’t the worst thing that could happen. He said it means more time to build a workforce, improve highways and build more homes.
"A lot of bold promises were made about 3,000 employees and manufacturing by 2025. And as it turns out, most of those were a little pie in the sky."- Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb
The delay also leaves questions. From 2022 to 2024, almost every decision in Licking County planning had the word “Intel” attached, Bubb said. Leaders pushed some economic development and infrastructure projects to the side to focus on projects that accommodated Intel’s anticipated needs.
“Now I think people are looking at each other like, when, how soon, and when do you pull the trigger on things?” Bubb said. “When do you start building maybe a new subdivision of houses if the demand isn't gonna be there?”
Just after 5 o’clock on a weekday, a slow but steady stream of vehicles make their way out of the Intel construction site through the gate on Clover Valley Road. On intersecting Green Chapel Road, there are brand new roundabouts and stylish streetlights. All around the site there are new asphalt walking paths. And on the site itself, dozens of giant metal cranes hover over the shells of warehouse buildings.
But mostly, it’s quiet, except for the rain and the soft drone of traffic.
Donny Barnard, mayor of nearby Johnstown, said the slowdown has given his rural city the time it needs to develop in the right way. He plans to work with New Albany and Dublin to learn from their recent economic growth.
Barnard remains confident that there will be a microchip plant at the Intel site, “whether it has ‘Intel’ on the front door or another company,” he said.
And in the meantime, other companies are looking to move into Licking County, Barnard said.
“I came here because I like the rural setting of Johnstown. Do I want it to change? No, but change is coming no matter what. And it's how we prepare for it,” Barnard said. “We wanna make sure that we create a Johnstown for the future that my kids, other kids wanna come back to and live here and love it for the reasons that we moved here.”
In a statement to WOSU, Intel said it remains "fully committed to Ohio and the Silicone Heartland project."
"We are dedicated to being a responsible and transparent community partner. We regularly engage with local leaders, residents, and stakeholders to provide updates, listen to feedback, and address questions about our work in New Albany," the statement reads.
A spokesperson for New Albany said the city is seeking further information on the Intel project.
“With a new CEO and further action suggested at the federal level, we’d like to have more information before we discuss, so that we can provide accurate information,” wrote Josh Poland, communications and marketing officer for the city of New Albany.
