Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs bills to address data center energy and water concerns
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed two bills into law to address energy and water concerns related to data centers. House Bill 2992 aims to protect ratepayers from covering the costs of powering large data centers, while Senate Bill 259, the Groundwater Modernization Act, regulates water usage.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed two bills into law addressing concerns about data centers' energy and water consumption. The legislation aims to prevent Oklahoma ratepayers from bearing the costs associated with powering large data centers and to regulate their water usage.
House Bill 2992 focuses on electricity, ensuring that the cost of providing power for data centers with "large loads" (defined as over 75MW) is not passed on to residential customers, small businesses, or retailers. A representative from OG&E stated this bill aligns with their proposal to protect customers from grid connection costs, referencing issues seen in other states where such costs were shifted to ratepayers.
The second piece of legislation, Senate Bill 259, known as the Groundwater Modernization Act, aims to manage water usage by data centers. Its purpose is to ensure equitable distribution of water resources, preventing any single entity from disproportionately consuming the supply.
Lawmakers view these bills as a starting point, recognizing that they will need to monitor how data center development unfolds in Oklahoma. They emphasize a reasoned approach, welcoming data centers but with the expectation that they adhere to the new rules and pay their fair share for resource consumption. House Bill 2992 went into effect immediately due to an emergency clause.