Arkansas: data centers & your electric bill
As of October 1, 2026, AI GridWatch tracks 9 data center moratoriums or pushback actions in Arkansas: 6 in force, 3 expired, rejected or rescinded. The state has 15 tracked data center facilities using an estimated 0.3 TWh of electricity a year.
Everything GridWatch tracks in Arkansas on one page — proposed projects, moratoriums, permits, officials, and the 2026 ballot.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Arkansas.
As of July 2026 (3m ago) · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
1Proposed data centers in Arkansas (1)
1 still live · 0 decided or withdrawn. Each name links to the full dossier — ownership, intelligence log, and where to read the paper trail.
| Project | Where | Size | Behind it | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google West Memphis | West Memphis | 1,178 ac | In review | Source |
2Pushback already happening in Arkansas
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County | Local | Rejectedterm not documented | Multiple attempts failed: a May 26 vote appeared to pass but a tally error voided it (didn't reach the 10-vote two-thirds threshold); a revised version was explicitly voted down 10-3 on Jul 28. County now pursuing regulations instead | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Little Rock | Local | Rejectedterm not documented | 18-month permitting halt on hyperscale data centers (250,000+ sq ft or 75+ MW), including a planned Google facility at the Port of Little Rock; failed 4-4 with two directors absent. The city's June 3, 2026 data-center regulations (no groundwater cooling, noise monitors) remain in effect regardless. | SourceNews read 2026-08-12 |
| Independence County | Local | Enactedexpires 2031-08-11 | 5-year moratorium, unanimous — the longest in Arkansas. Preemptive; no project currently proposed | SourceRoundup read 2026-08-13 |
| Russellville | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-01-31 | 6-month pause on data center approvals | SourceRoundup read 2026-08-13 |
| Union County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-09 | Ordinance 1795: 1-year moratorium (Jul 10, 2026 – Jul 9, 2027), unanimous; studying water, electricity, utilities, emergency services, property and zoning impacts | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Carroll County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-06-17 | 1-year moratorium on high-impact industrial and high-intensity digital infrastructure facilities, unanimous emergency ordinance | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Benton County | County | Enactedexpires 2027-02-10 | Six-month moratorium. Developer NSI6 LLC / Trent Overhue challenged it in court Sep 2; ~100 people filled courtroom. Developer selected county specifically because it had no planning and zoning. County attorney argued moratorium valid because Overhue's project not yet started and land not yet owned (closing Sep 9). Judge considering temporary restraining order. | SourceNews read 2026-09-06 |
| Madison County | County | Enactedexpires 2029-08-31 | Three-year moratorium on data centers, digital asset mining, and large-scale computer/server operations; emergency clause, effective immediately. Preemptive -- no project proposed. Two public hearings preceded the vote. | SourceNews read 2026-09-11 |
| Harrison | Local | Rescindedterm not documented | Ordinance 1515: moratorium on data centers and crypto mining. Rescinded Nov 28, 2023 by 6-2 vote at special meeting, as litigation precaution tied to federal court case involving Green Digital and state 'right to mine' protections. Arkansas later passed Acts 173/174 (2024) restoring local regulatory authority. | SourceNews read 2026-09-11 |
As of August 2026 (2m ago) · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
3Every data center already built in Arkansas
GridWatch does not yet track a named hyperscale campus in Arkansas, but that does not mean the state has none. DataCenterMap keeps a public directory of existing facilities — street addresses included — for Arkansas.
Browse the Arkansas directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
4Your regulator
Arkansas Public Service Commission — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Arkansas electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
5Where the Arkansas paper trail lives
Air & environmental permits: Arkansas DEQ — Office of Air Quality
Searchable register: ADEQ Permit Data System — a public database you can search by facility or permit number.
Grid interconnection queue: MISO (Midwest & Gulf) · Southwest Power Pool (Plains)
A routing hint only — several states are split between markets, and the serving utility is the only authority on which queue a given site is in.
These are places to look, not evidence that anything has been filed. Links were checked on 2026-08-21; search links are queries, not records.
6Your federal delegation and governor
Grades cross party — this is an issue axis, not a partisan one. A blank grade means no documented action was located, never that the official is neutral.
| Grade | Official | Documented action (sourced) | Reach them |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Sarah Huckabee Sanders Republican · Governor | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | John Boozman Republican · Senator · next on the ballot 2028 | No documented action on data centers located Accelerate At a January 2026 EPW permitting-reform hearing Boozman cited the multi-billion-dollar West Memphis data center as an investment Arkansas landed because of "a reliable, affordable, and an all-the-above energy supply"; no position on who pays for data center power was located. sources | site · contact |
| — | Tom Cotton Republican · Senator · on the 2026 ballot | No documented action on data centers located Mixed Cotton introduced the DATA Act of 2026 to let data centers and other energy-intensive industries build off-grid electricity systems exempt from certain Federal Power Act regulation so their load does not raise Arkansans' bills, and in June 2026 asked DOJ to investigate alleged Chinese-backed funding of opposition to data center development while acknowledging residents' cost and resource concerns are valid. sources | site · contact |
| — | Eric A. "Rick" Crawford Republican · Representative 1 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | J. French Hill Republican · Representative 2 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Steve Womack Republican · Representative 3 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Bruce Westerman Republican · Representative 4 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
Roster: regenerated by scripts/refresh_officials.py (Senate XML + congress-legislators + current governors).
Write to your senators → Your senators in detail → Full officials scorecard → Find your state legislators →
72026 U.S. Senate race
PVI R+15 · Seat held by Tom Cotton (Republican) · Incumbent renominated
Hallie Shoffner (Democratic) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Tom Cotton (Republican) · incumbent No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Jeff Wadlin (Libertarian) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Ballot roster: state candidate list (read 2026-08-25).
82026 U.S. House races in Arkansas (4)
A documented data-center record exists in 3 of 4 districts. A candidate with no badge colour has said nothing we could locate — that is a gap in the record, not a neutral position. ★ marks an incumbent.
| District | PVI | Incumbent | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| AR-1 | R+23 | Rick Crawford | Rick Crawford ★ Terri Green Steve Parsons |
| AR-2 | R+8 | French Hill | French Hill ★ Chris Jones |
| AR-3 | R+13 | Steve Womack | Robb Ryerse Steve Womack ★ Bobby Wilson |
| AR-4 | R+20 | Bruce Westerman | Bruce Westerman ★ James Russell |
The documented records (3 districts)
AR-1
Rick Crawford (Republican) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
AR-2
French Hill (Republican) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
AR-4
Bruce Westerman (Republican) · incumbent Accelerate
Frames data centers as crucial for US-China AI competition; downplays environmental concerns
- Town hall promoting data centers as 'crucial to America winning the cold war with China on AI tech'; dismissed water concerns, argued large loads could lower residential electricity prices (2026-09-01 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-11.
9Latest Arkansas data center news
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State municipal league: Arkansas Municipal League