Edmond has become the latest city across the nation to adopt a moratorium on construction of data centers.
The City Council voted unanimously this week to adopt a temporary moratorium and carry out a study on how data centers could affect Edmond. The moratorium will end December 31, 2026 and it will be immediately in effect.
During the city council meeting, Edmond Vice Mayor Barry Moore was a supporter of stalling any construction of data centers in the city.
“I’ve seen what it’s done to communities. It’s torn them apart. It’s divided them. Anger, and I don’t want that happening in Edmond.”
He and other council members indicated their desire is not a permanent ban of the centers but rather more time to research different types of data centers and their potential impacts.
Fox 25 news reported the research of data centers will be conducted in the next two months and by three months, the city council is to receive a draft. The council wants a final draft of the research to be presented in five months.
During the meeting, a member of an OSU data center research committee offered to research 117 questions about water and energy usage.
“It’ll be titled, Considerations for Communities Evaluating Data Centers,” said Ander Fleet of the OSU Data Center Research Committee.
Edmond is no different than dozens of cities around the nation.
This is what’s happening around the nation when it comes to data center growth and how it is still generating a great deal of opposition and skepticism.
The stories reveal that Oklahoma is no different than any other state when it comes to how cities and counties are handling the issue as concerns are raised by power use, impact on residential fees and water use.
- New York officials just passed what could become the country’s first state data center ban—but the bill still needs Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature. This one-year pause would give lawmakers time to regulate data centers. The bill also orders the state environmental agency to measure how much electricity, water, and land these facilities gobble up.
- The Trump administration orders Orlando, Florida’s municipal utility to continue operating a 465-MW coal-fired power plant to support new data centers and other large loads. (Utility Dive)
- Duke Energy may receive $28 million in federal funding to upgrade two units at a coal-fired power plant in a North Carolina community where residents are also dealing with new gas plants, a pipeline, and a proposed data center. (Inside Climate News)
- The Tennessee Valley Authority turns to gas and nuclear power as it aims to build 3.7 GW of new generation to meet rising power demand from data centers, population growth, and economic development. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
- The most recent auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative comes in at a lower-than-expected price, despite fears about Virginia’s pending reentry to the program due to its massive concentration of data centers and relative lack of renewable energy development.
- “I’d call it grocery store politics”: A West Virginia state senator reverses his stance to oppose data centers after constituents confront him over his support of 2025 legislation to block localities from regulating the facilities. (Mountain State Spotlight)
- NV Energy plans to spend more than $3 billion on capital projects in northern Nevada over the next three years to accommodate projected data center-driven demand growth. (Nevada Current)
- Residents of Monterey Park, California, vote to ban new data centers, making it the nation’s first city to permanently block the facilities via a popular vote. (Los Angeles Times)
- Analysts find Northwest utilities are acquiring gas-fired power and building new fossil fuel infrastructure to meet growing demand from data centers. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
- The developer of the proposed Stratos Project data center complex in northern Utah commits to downsizing the facility and making other changes after conservative state lawmakers urge him to scale back. (Deseret News)
- Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) directs state agencies to coordinate efforts to ensure data center construction does not raise other utility customers’ rates, harm communities, or threaten water supplies. (WyoFile)
- Reno, Nevada’s city council votes to extend its moratorium on new data centers until it adopts new regulations for the facilities. (Nevada Current)
- A Republican in the Pennsylvania House introduces a bill that would require data center developers to build or buy their own power supply to keep them from racking up charges for residential customers. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
- Democratic Delaware state legislators are working on similar legislation that would mandate data center developers supply their own power and pay for necessary transmission upgrades. (Spotlight Delaware)
