Tulsa Area Raises Resistance to Oklahoma Data Centers

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

This week, the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, placed a moratorium on new data center construction while citizens of a nearby town are attempting to recall their entire city council after it rezoned land to house a potential Google data center.

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Oklahomans Fight Back

Recently, attempts to thwart data center construction in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the surrounding area gained ground. The Tulsa City Council this week placed a moratorium on data center construction within the city limits. This comes on the heels of citizens of neighboring Sand Springs attempting to oust their entire city council, including the mayor, over its role in facilitating development of another data center.

Tulsa's Moratorium

On Wednesday, the Tulsa City Council unanimously passed a moratorium on new data centers within the city limits that could last through December 31. A Meta Platforms data center that is under construction in the city as well as its Phase II expansion are exempted from the policy, but the regulation could hinder the plans of another developer.

At the heart of the moratorium is how data centers are classified for zoning purposes, which affects where they can be located, particularly in relation to residences. Tulsa's current policy classifies data centers as a "low-impact" industry, meaning that the facilities do not produce noticeable effects outside of their property.

The council placed the moratorium in order to see if other designations might be better suited for the facilities, such as "medium-impact" industry that includes noise, vibrations and light impacts outside of the facility's property--complaints often voiced by those living in the vicinity of data centers, which often are built in rural of small-town areas, particularly large, hyperscale facilities that need abundant acreage.

The construction moratorium could last through the end of the year, and during this time the planning office will provide reports every 60 days about movement regarding the issue to the city council.

Tulsa Projects

The moratorium exempts a Meta Platforms data center presently under construction, Project Anthem on the east side of town. Phase I includes construction of a nearly 350,000-square-foot building, while a planned Phase II expansion that also is exempted from the moratorium's effects will include a 290,000-square-foot second building. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Industrial Manufacturing Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

However, the moratorium may affect another project poised to kick off in the city this year. Industrial Info's GMI project database shows Beale Infrastructure planned to start construction this year on a four-building data center in Tulsa. Construction of the fourth building was expected to be completed in 2030. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

Beale isn't completely out of luck in the region, however, as the company is developing its Project Atlas in Coweta, about 25 miles from central Tulsa, and Project Mustang in Claremore, about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa. Industrial Info expects the Coweta project to break ground later this year, followed by the Claremore project in early 2027.

Sand Springs, Oklahoma

The Tulsa moratorium comes on the heels of another situation as citizens of nearby Sand Springs, less than 10 miles from Tulsa's city center, take action against a proposed data center by attempting to recall the entire city council that has paved the way for its construction.

The Sand Springs City Council last month voted 6-1 to rezone agricultural land for industrial use for a potential Google data center, including annexing land to allow for the connection to power lines.

A lawsuit now challenges that annexation. Plaintiffs are arguing that the recent annexation was contingent on the area touching a previously annexed strip of land that Sand Springs claimed in 1966. The plaintiffs argue that an ordinance from the 1970s nullified this prior annexation many years ago, making the recent annexation of the land for power lines illegal. No court date has been set.

In the meantime, however, opponents of the data center are taking further serious action in attempting to recall the entire Sand Springs City Council, including the mayor, over the issue. Sand Springs citizens opposed to the data center are attempting to gather 5,000 signatures of city residents by the end of this month to have the recall measure put on the next ballot.

While Google's plans for Sand Springs are at an early stage, the company may face less headwinds for two other project in Oklahoma, one of which is not far from Tulsa.

That project is the Summit project in an industrial park near Muskogee, around 50 miles southeast of Tulsa. Construction is poised to kick off later this year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project. The placement of the facility within an existing industrial park could be a plus for Google. An NBC News piece on the Sand Springs development noted that residents aren't necessarily opposed to data centers but rather to the rezoning of farmland when the city already has an industrial zone.

Google's other Oklahoma data center project is further outside of the Tulsa area, about 70 miles west in Stillwater. Much larger than the Muskogee development, Google already has broken ground on the facility, with a first building expected to be completed later this year, followed by a second in 2027 and an additional four more buildings, the last of which is expected to be completed in 2029. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

Similar Pushback

Pushback against data centers continues to be felt both regionally and nationally. In a move similar to the one into Sand Springs, Augusta Township, Maine, is attempting to oust its city council over the rezoning of land for development of data center by Thor Equities Group. (See project report.)

Oklahoma on state level is making moves to shelter consumers from rate hikes caused by large-load customers in a bill whose title, the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, suggests it takes particular aim at artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which remain relatively few in the state at this time. The legislation provides regulation and guidance on how infrastructure and equipment developed for large-load customers can be funded, aiming to protect ratepayers and make the companies themselves responsible for shouldering most of the costs.

On a national level, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) along with House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) this week unveiled plans to introduce a bill to their respective chambers to block large data center construction until U.S. legislators can enact regulations governing the rollout of AI data center facilities, which can consume significant amounts of power and water in addition to affecting the quality of life for nearby residents. While the duo's Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act isn't expected to pass, it demonstrates a shift in data center concerns from grassroots community efforts to higher attention on the national stage.

Key Takeaways

• The Tulsa City Council has passed a moratorium on data center construction within the city limits that could last through the end of the year.
• Citizens of nearby Sand Springs are attempting to recall their entire city council after it annexed and rezoned agricultural land to make way for a data center.
• Pushback on AI data centers is being felt regionally and nationally as U.S. senators unveiled legislation to put a moratorium on their construction nationally until further regulations and guardrails can be enacted.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).