Little Rock city director defends her vote against moratorium on data center permits

Little Rock City Director Capi Peck is facing public criticism for her vote against an 18-month moratorium on new large-scale data center permits. The proposal, which would have halted permitting for facilities including a planned Google data center at the city's port industrial park, failed in a 4-4 tie vote by the Little Rock Board of Directors, requiring six votes to pass. City Directors Antwan Phillips and Ken Richardson were absent for the vote.

Peck defended her decision on Facebook, stating that while initially concerned about hyperscale data centers, a meeting with Google representatives reassured her. She also cited the potential for litigation against the city if the moratorium passed and a desire to support economic development, fearing a "not business friendly" message. The moratorium was sponsored by City Director Kathy Webb, who had earlier co-proposed a shorter, six-month moratorium with Peck that exempted the Google project, but later advocated for the 18-month version.

Public reaction to Peck's vote was mixed, with some supporting her rationale and others, like Rachel Cotner and former Arkansas Democratic Party official Jacob Kauffman, expressing disappointment and distrust. Kauffman, in an opinion piece, suggested Peck was trusting Google's lobbying over public sentiment regarding environmental and economic concerns. The article highlights ongoing opposition from residents, with Lake Smith, a candidate for a board seat, expressing disappointment at the moratorium's rejection. Previous concerns raised by Peck and Webb in an op-ed included electricity costs, water resiliency, environmental exposure, and tax revenue adequacy, with the Google facility estimated to require 100,000 megawatts of electricity and consume 1 million gallons of water daily.