OKMULGEE COUNTY, Okla. — Despite still being early in the process, details are emerging about a proposed site and plans for a data center on county land west of Okmulgee.
The 200 acres of land surrounding Hodges Warehouse sits on the west side of Madison Avenue and is now owned by Three Rivers Manufacturing, LLC, a cutlery manufacturer based in Tulsa.
WATCH: New info released on possible Okmulgee data center project
New info released on possible Okmulgee data center project
Okmulgee County Emergency Management director Jeff Moore confirmed to 2 News Oklahoma both he and county commissioner Steve Ward have previously met with the property owners and that Moore received a valid land clearing permit necessary because of flood plain requirements.
2 News Oklahoma
“They presented with the application and all the requested documents, and even went further than what I had requested past the hydrology and hydraulic study,” Moore said.
On July 7, Okmulgee County Board of Commissioners voted to bring a larger voice to the table by establishing a three citizen-led “Advisory Planning Committee” for the purpose of “research and planning in regards to data centers” in the county.
Later that day, opponents of data centers previously interviewed by 2 News hosted a town hall at Okmulgee Community Center.
“You see problems with water,” Natacha Musser said outside the meeting. “You see problems with electricity and how (data center developers are often) going to court so they can try to get what they originally want, but the people are fighting against them.”
While Moore can’t speak to legal battles, he said developers will only need to get a final building permit from a fire marshal to build a data center, which would not be a voting matter. Also, Okmulgee County does not have zoning, so the other decision to be made that he can think of would come from City of Okmulgee, which is the utility provider the data center would get its water from.
- WATCH>>> FULL INTERVIEW- Okmulgee County EMA on potential data center site
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FULL INTERVIEW- Okmulgee County EMA on potential data center site
Musser said she’s confident neighbors like her can impact that future decision, though.
“They’re going to try to use our water,” Musser said. “So our voice here inside the city has a very loud voice, and there’s going to be a lot of people here talking about it.”
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