Small Oklahoma town may be unable to stop data center plans
Residents of Amber, Oklahoma are opposing plans by Aligned Data Centers to build a large data center campus near their rural community. The town's attempt to annex the land to impose local regulations failed, leaving officials with limited options to block the project as state laws favor data center development.
Residents of Amber, Oklahoma, a small rural town southwest of Oklahoma City, are voicing strong opposition to a large data center project proposed by Aligned Data Centers. The developer quietly acquired 850 acres of land just outside Amber city limits for $17 million in late July, leading to an August meeting where residents expressed skepticism and concerns about noise, light pollution, environmental impacts, and water usage in a drought-stressed area. Aligned Data Centers plans to truck in water for its closed-loop cooling systems and build its own power generation, bypassing local utilities.
The Amber town council explored options to block the development, including annexing the land to apply local zoning and environmental regulations. However, the town's attorney advised that the project would be difficult to stop as it lies outside city limits, and Grady County lacks a formal planning commission for unincorporated land. Local opposition continued, but a September vote to cancel annexation plans followed some landowners pulling out, leaving Amber Mayor Greg Mosier unsure of the town's next steps. State lawmakers, including State Rep. Dick Lowe and Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, have generally supported data center recruitment, approving laws that ease self-power generation and offer tax breaks, though they did pass bills this spring to protect groundwater and residential energy rates. A proposed statewide data center moratorium failed to advance in the last legislative session, and more data center-focused legislation, possibly addressing local control, is expected next year.