PAWHUSKA, Okla. — Pawhuska city officials voted in an April 14 public works authority meeting for a full moratorium on data center considerations through the end of 2026.
"Residents do not want this data center" could be heard shouted into megaphones outside Constantine Theater by a half-dozen neighbors before the monthly meetings. They told 2 News Oklahoma - and their city council - they're fed up with the mere idea of a tier-one data center on the site of an abandoned warehouse bordering Indian Camp Elementary.
One speaker during the public works meeting said they had collected 459 total signatures on a petition opposing the data center's bureaucratic process.
The city council voted in last month's meeting to consult with Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and PSO for the idea’s electric feasibility.
During the meeting though, Mayor Steve Tolson said there's not enough power infrastructure to even begin.
"I have some reservations with our substation," Mayor Tolson said. "I don't even know if we can handle that. Right now, we're under construction there."
Buckley Bros. Holdings is the Florida-based firm trying to acquire the 18-acre lot.
The would-be developer claimed in the March council meeting the data center would not take city water supply nor make excessive noise or light pollution.
Stephanie Deatherage told 2 News she doesn't buy that.
"They said it was going to be just 10,000 square feet (when finished), and now it's up to 30,000. It's a very big building. No, I do not buy it at all," Deatherage said.
"As I keep fighting for Indigenous rights and Indigenous sovereignty, the more I realize I'm fighting for all people," Alex Deroin said. "Because this is all of our problems. This isn't just an Indian problem, this is an Oklahoma problem."
- Previous coverage>>> Pawhuskans concerned over possible data center project
Since first covering the proposed data center in March, 2 News has repeatedly reached out to Buckley Bros. for comment but has not gotten a reply.
Pawhuska officials, meanwhile, sided with the small crowd.
The body unanimously voted against a load guarantee letter to the developer, then passed a moratorium 3-2 to halt any data center considerations through December 31.
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