The proposed Data Center Customer Protection Act of 2026 is on its way to be voted on by the Oklahoma Senate after winning recent unanimous approval in a Senate Energy Committee hearing.
Proposed originally by Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow and also a candidate for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the measure is designed to protect consumers and ratepayers from footing the electrical power costs for new data centers.
“House Bill 2992 requires that large load data centers, crypto mining facilities pay their portion of infrastructure costs associated with significant electric demands,” explained Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston, who carried the bill in the committee hearing. He also proposed an amendment which was quickly adopted prior to the final 9-0 vote in the committee.
“I mean, if you’re going to put strain on the grid and have to have new infrastructure, you’re going to have to pay for it. It won’t fall back on the rate payers,” he told committee members. It will prevent the cost from being passed on to residential industrial agriculture, commercial rate payers through higher utility rates. Essentially, they’re either going to have to go behind the meter or they’re going to pay for their infrastructure.”
The Boles-Green bill is the only such data center bill of its kind still remaining in this year’s legislative session and has drawn support from a growing number of senators and representatives.
It arose from concerns of ratepayers and consumers who questioned the impact of proposed new large-load data centers in the state. Some opposition groups contend the ratepayers will be left bearing the brunt of costs by utilities as they expand their electric-generating powers to meet the demand of the AI manufacturing operations.
As a result of large-load growth in the state, including the data centers, utilities are asking the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for permission to expand their power operations and pass along the costs. Public Service Company of Oklahoma started last year attempting to win approval for its costly power expansion projects.