Little Rock’s proposed data center rules would cover planned Google facility, official says

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. has introduced a set of draft regulations for future data centers, which city officials confirm would apply to Google's proposed facility at the Port of Little Rock. These regulations aim to mitigate environmental impacts related to water consumption and noise, with the Little Rock Board of Directors expected to vote on them on June 2. Mayor Scott stated the rules are essential for responsible industrial development while still attracting critical investments.

However, George Wise, executive committee chair of the Arkansas chapter of the Sierra Club, criticized the proposed regulations as insufficient, arguing they do not adequately limit power and water use or protect wetlands. He called for a public hearing to allow residents to voice their concerns, noting that the rules don't address specific questions about the Google data center. Google's project, spearheaded by Willowbend Capital LLC (a known front company), previously secured approvals last year for the sale of 380 acres near the port, along with annexation and rezoning of nearly 800 acres for heavy industrial use, and was granted significant tax incentives.

The proposed regulations classify data centers into three tiers based on size and power demands. "Hyperscale" facilities, like Google's planned 1.43 million square foot center expected to exceed 100 megawatts, would face specific requirements. These include setbacks of 100 to 1,000 feet from non-industrial properties, mandates for air-cooled or high-efficiency liquid cooling systems, and prohibitions against using on-site groundwater for primary cooling or discharging chemically treated cooling water. The rules also establish distinct daytime and nighttime noise limits, requiring larger data centers to maintain continuous on-site acoustic monitoring.

In related news, Pulaski County officials are also developing new data center regulations, primarily in response to AVAIO Digital's plans for a facility in an unincorporated area near Wrightsville. The county attorney has indicated these county-level regulations would not retroactively apply to the AVAIO development. Wise further expressed concerns that the Little Rock regulations fail to address the destruction of nearly 17 acres of wetlands and questioned the necessity of granting tax incentives to a global corporation like Google, suggesting the land and incentives could be better utilized for projects generating more jobs.