The Oklahoma Senate unanimously passed a revised version of House Bill 2992, aimed at shielding utility customers from higher costs tied to energy-intensive data center development.
The measure, titled the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, requires large electricity users such as data centers, artificial intelligence facilities and cryptocurrency operations to pay their share of infrastructure and power costs rather than shifting those expenses to other ratepayers.
Oklahoma Senator Grant Green said the bill is designed to prevent residential and small business customers from absorbing the financial impact of large-scale energy demand.
“This legislation makes it abundantly clear that all developments that would put significant strain on Oklahoma’s electric grid must cover their own costs,” Green said.
The bill directs the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and other regulators to ensure utility rates are not unfairly increased due to high-demand users. It also requires electric providers to establish separate rate structures for those large-load customers.
Lawmakers added new transparency and community notification requirements before final passage. Developers of large energy projects would be required to provide 60 days’ notice before purchasing land, notify nearby property owners within a five-mile radius, and hold a public meeting to answer questions from residents.
Green said the added provisions are meant to give rural landowners advance notice of potential developments.
“As data centers continue to spring up in rural Oklahoma, these transparency requirements ensure that farmers and ranchers aren’t blindsided by a massive new development next door,” Green said.
The notice must also be filed with the Corporation Commission and local county commissioners and published in a local newspaper for two consecutive weeks. Developers who fail to comply could face fines.
House Bill 2992 now returns to the Oklahoma House for further consideration.
