Oklahoma Gov. Stitt to sign two bills focused on data centers
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is set to sign two bills impacting data center development statewide. One bill, HB 2992, requires data centers to cover their own electric infrastructure costs. The other, SB 259, modernizes the state's groundwater permitting policies in anticipation of growing water demands.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is poised to sign two significant bills aimed at regulating data center development across the state. House Bill 2992, known as the Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act, will require large data centers to fund the necessary electric infrastructure for their facilities. This measure is intended to prevent the costs of increased power grid demand from being shifted to Oklahoma's residential utility customers.
The second piece of legislation, Senate Bill 259, authored by Sen. Brent Howard, is the Groundwater Modernization Act. This bill updates the state's groundwater permitting policies, preparing Oklahoma for anticipated increases in water demand, a crucial resource for data center cooling operations. Governor Stitt stated that the objective of these bills is to facilitate free-market business attraction while ensuring residents are not burdened with the infrastructure costs associated with these major projects.