Oklahoma

Oklahoma's Senate Energy Committee unanimously advanced HB 2992, a bill requiring the Corporation Commission to protect household and business electricity rates as data centers and cryptomining operations connect to the grid.

The bill would require the commission to create separate terms, conditions, and tariffs for data center companies. The measure applies to all electricity providers, including cooperatives and municipal utilities. Some providers, including the Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas & Electric, are already working on drafting tariffs. Data centers could still pursue behind-the-meter generation by building on-site power. The bill is now eligible for a Senate floor vote.

Michigan

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a challenge with the Court of Appeals aimed at invalidating state energy regulators' decision to approve contracts allowing DTE Energy to supply power to a data center under development in Saline Township.

The Michigan Public Service Commission gave conditional approval to the contracts in December. Nessel argued the commission was required to hold a contested case hearing, which would allow outside bodies like the Attorney General's office to intervene, conduct discovery, and file testimony. The MPSC's three commissioners unanimously rejected her motions to reopen the case at a March 27 meeting, prompting the appeal.

West Rockhill Township, Pennsylvania

West Rockhill supervisors unanimously approved a zoning ordinance to regulate data centers on April 15, with amendments already directed for May 20 based on public feedback.

The new ordinance limits data centers to the Planned Industrial zoning district and requires special permission from the zoning hearing board. Standards include a 25-acre minimum lot size, 35-foot height limit, 150-foot parking setback from residential lots, on-site solar power generation, and underground utility lines where practical. Pennsylvania law prohibits municipalities from banning data centers outright, requiring every township to allow for every possible type of development somewhere within its boundaries.

Nassau County, Florida

Nassau County commissioners directed staff to draft a 12-month moratorium on data center development, with key decision dates already set: an initial discussion on April 27, followed by public hearings on May 11 and June 8.

The moratorium is designed to prevent a developer from filing under existing zoning rules that do not account for the scale of modern data centers. The controversy traces back to a September 2025 announcement by NextNRG describing a potential 1,600-acre energy and data campus concept with a 200-megawatt microgrid and 400 acres for hyperscale data center development. The company later clarified its intent, saying the project is a solar farm, not a data center.

Horry County, South Carolina

Horry County officials are drafting data center regulations proactively before proposals arrive, after projects in neighboring Colleton, Spartanburg, and Marion counties sparked resident pushback. The county's current zoning code has no standards for data centers.

Under the proposed regulations, facilities up to 200,000 square feet would be allowed in districts zoned for general manufacturing and heavy industry. Officials initially considered allowing smaller centers in limited industrial zones but decided to further restrict locations to keep facilities away from residential areas.

Fort Meade, Florida

Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly called a proposed data center in Fort Meade "fundamentally flawed" in a letter citing risks to Central Florida's energy, water, and transportation infrastructure.

The letter came after the Fort Meade City Commission unanimously approved the project last week despite resident protests. Developer Stonebridge is proposing a 4,400,000-square-foot facility on roughly 1,300 acres in rural Polk County. No operator has been disclosed.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District sent a letter to the city on April 14 noting that projected water demand had not been included in the permit application.

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