Arkansas Advocate: Arkansas’ most populous county approves data center moratorium, but with exemption
Pulaski County, Arkansas, has approved a one-year moratorium on new data centers, but controversially included an exemption for AVAIO Digital's planned project near Wrightsville. This decision follows significant public opposition regarding environmental impacts like water usage and electricity consumption. Little Rock is also set to consider new data center regulations.
The Pulaski County Quorum Court in Arkansas has approved a one-year moratorium on new data center developments, a move that comes amidst growing public backlash. However, the court's decision, reached by a narrow 8-7 vote, controversially includes an exemption for Connecticut-based AVAIO Digital's planned data center near Wrightsville. Critics, including residents like Teri Drennan, expressed frustration over the exemption, arguing it undermines the moratorium's intent to address concerns about farmland loss, excessive water use, and rising electricity costs.
The AVAIO Digital project is projected to be highly power-intensive, with an initial 150 megawatts expanding to potentially 1 gigawatt, supplied by Entergy Arkansas. Pulaski County Justice of the Peace Phil Stowers supported the exemption, citing AVAIO's significant investment in the community. This exemption's legality was questioned by Democratic nominee for county judge, Wendell Griffen, and County Attorney Hamilton Kemp noted a 2023 Arkansas law prohibiting local governments from banning data center permits.
Meanwhile, another data center project by Google is underway at the Port of Little Rock, a $1 billion, 300,000-square-foot facility, though state and federal wetlands approvals are still pending. The Little Rock Board of Directors is set to consider its own data center regulations next week, which would mandate water use reports and set noise limits. Little Rock Director Lance Hines stated he believes the Google project already meets these proposed requirements and accused opponents of a "left-wing agenda," contrasting with broader public sentiment where a Gallup poll indicated bipartisan opposition to local data center construction. Concerns about water usage were further addressed by Central Arkansas Water CEO Tad Bohannon, who mentioned promises of water recirculation by data center companies, while Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood voiced fears of water pollution, citing a past incident involving a Meta data center in Georgia.