Boles, Green Applaud Governor for Signing Bill Protecting Consumers from Rising Utility Costs Tied to New Data Centers Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, and Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston, are praising Gov. Kevin Stitt for signing House Bill 2992, the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, into law on Monday, May 11. The measure is …
(Fort Smith Times Record) The EPA says a chemical spill near the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line did not reach the Poteau River. The spill happened May 2 at C&S Chemicals located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It involved 77,877 gallons of acidified aluminum sulfate which spilled into a nearby creek. Another 2,900 gallons of sulfuric acid …
When Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners voted this week to approve the use of the controversial Construction Work in Progress method for Public Service Company to collect payments for energy projects, it raised an interesting contradiction. Regulators also want the public to know, their hands were tied and they were forced by law to approve the utility’s …
Those Oklahomans that some critics called members of the “tinfoil hat crowd” for their opposition to proposed data centers certainly have a lot of others like them across the U.S. So suggests a new Gallup poll that says Oklahomans who are fighting data centers in Coweta, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Piedmont, Luther and Yukon and …
Noted environmental activist Erin Brockovich has joined the list of those raising serious questions about the environmental impact of data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS) across the U.S. She has recently started a website devoted to covering the topic across the country. Called “Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting,” the site not only …
(Colorado Sen. Cathy Kipp speaks at a rally for a bill she’s sponsored that would place new regulations on large-load data centers in Colorado. March 13, 2026.) While Oklahoma adopted a data center bill to protect consumers from higher electricity rates, Colorado lawmakers attempted to create environmental regulations for data center development. But state …
Debates over data centers are intensifying across the U.S. and not just in Oklahoma. Residents, who are the ratepayers, often do battle with developers because of the anticipated increase in electric rates to pay for the large load required for the centers. Others argue it will mean increased water rates or a depletion of …
A reported recall petition has been initiated against Yukon’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor over the city’s efforts to negotiate development of a data center. Social media reported this week Yukon resident Joe Horn requested Mayor Brian Pillmore and Vice-Mayor Jeff Wooten to resign and when they declined, Horn presented the city clerk a petition initiating …
Failed blockade runner ** A US Navy fighter jet disabled the rudder of an Iranian-flagged tanker on Wednesday with its 20 mm cannon. The tanker was trying to bypass the blockade of Iran’s ports, the US military said. Strait of Hormuz ** Shipping intelligence firm Lloyd’s List says the Strait of Hormuz is now closed, …
Coweta Police have launched an investigation into the city council and the city manager over its handling of a controversial data center. But there’s a twist. The probe was asked for by the Coweta City Council. What prompted the request? It came in response to public allegations involving the council and City manager Julie …
