OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — As data centers continue expanding across Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed two new laws Thursday designed to protect residents from footing the bill for these massive facilities.
The legislation comes as communities like Claremore grapple with data center development in residential areas, raising concerns about utility costs and resource usage.
House Bill 2992, which took effect July 1, creates safeguards preventing Oklahoma families, small businesses and utility customers from absorbing rate hikes and infrastructure costs when data centers move into their communities.
"If you're gonna come here we want you here but know that you're gonna play by the rules," said Oklahoma Sen. Brent Howard. "I think we're taking a reasoned approach so we're not just flooding at the exploitation of our resources."
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The law addresses concerns like those raised by Claremore resident Tom Clark, who lives across from the planned Project Mustang Data Center.
"It's gonna be across the road from me. I am dead set against it," Clark told 2 News Oklahoma in May, citing worries about potential cost increases and environmental changes.
Senate Bill 259, taking effect November 1, modernizes water usage oversight by requiring annual water-use reports to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
The law also prohibits data centers from using groundwater in open-air evaporative cooling systems without recirculation — a move designed to conserve the state's water resources.
The laws aim to welcome data center investment while ensuring companies pay their own infrastructure costs rather than passing them to existing customers.
Clark's concerns about living near a data center reflect broader community worries about how rapid tech industry expansion affects residential areas.
"I'm a nature person, I like nature. And I didn't move to this part of town to be surrounded by businesses," he said.
The new protections ensure that as Oklahoma attracts more data center investment, residents won't be left paying the bill.
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