Opinion: Oklahoma Data Center Growth Raises Concerns Over Water and Electricity Use
An opinion piece argues against new hyperscale data center construction in Oklahoma, drawing parallels to the Dust Bowl era's 'Suitcase Farmers'. The author highlights the significant strain data centers, like Google's Tulsa facility and a proposed Yukon project, place on water and electricity resources, leading to higher costs for residents. It calls for policymakers to prioritize constituents over short-term tax revenue from data center developments.
In an opinion piece for The Oklahoman, Travis Roach, a professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma, warns that Oklahoma's policymakers are exacerbating environmental conditions by greenlighting new hyperscale data centers. Roach compares data center developers to 'Suitcase Farmers' of the Dust Bowl era, who prioritized quick profits over local concerns, leading to devastating environmental consequences.
He highlights the immense resource consumption of these facilities, citing Google's data center near Tulsa, which uses over 3 million gallons of water daily for cooling, with indirect water demand pushing it to over 5 million gallons. A proposed data center in Yukon is projected to consume nearly 10 million gallons of water daily, equivalent to 10% of the entire Oklahoma City metro area's typical usage, and require more than twice the electricity produced by the Mustang Power Plant. Roach argues this will strain the state's water and electricity systems, driving up utility prices for all Oklahomans.
While acknowledging the local tax revenue, such as an expected $16 million in franchise fees for Yukon, Roach characterizes this as a hidden tax on constituents. He urges policymakers to consider the long-term impacts on resources and listen to taxpayers rather than incentivize what he views as short-sighted development.