Wendell Griffen promotes data center regulations in Pulaski County while the government slogs through a budget crisis

Wendell Griffen, the Democratic nominee for Pulaski County county judge, has announced a plan to implement stricter regulations and permitting processes for data centers within the county. The proposed ordinance aims to address concerns about transparency, environmental impact, and infrastructure strain from large technology companies like Google, Meta, and Apple, which are developing facilities in Pulaski County, specifically at the Port of Little Rock and near Wrightsville. Griffen's ordinance seeks to establish a new legal definition for "high-intensity digital infrastructure," targeting data centers requiring significant electrical load, on-site generation, land use, or water consumption. It would mandate a conditional use permit process for such developments, ensuring infrastructure capacity is verified, environmental impacts are mitigated, and costs are not shifted to taxpayers. The proposal, shared with the Quorum Court, incumbent County Judge Barry Hyde, and acting county attorney Hamilton Kemp, is designed to legally navigate the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023 by focusing on land use regulation. The initiative comes as public opposition to data centers is growing in the region. Griffen, supported by organizer Kathy Wells and the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods, positions himself as a critical voice against unregulated data center expansion. He hopes the Quorum Court will consider and adopt the ordinance in May, applying it to both existing planned projects and all future developments. This regulatory push unfolds amidst a backdrop of internal turmoil within the Pulaski County government, including a significant budget crisis and ongoing disputes between County Judge Barry Hyde and County Treasurer Debra Buckner. The county is also grappling with redrawing its zoning policy after a 2025 state law curtailed municipalities' extraterritorial zoning authority, with Hyde's previous zoning plan having been tabled due to community controversy.