Commission Nominee Discusses Development Moratorium in Choctaw County

Residents gathered in Boswell to discuss a proposed combination project involving a natural gas power plant and a data center along the Bryan/Choctaw County line. In response to the growing industrial proposals, Choctaw County adopted a moratorium in May, pausing approval for data centers, server farms, and other tech facilities for a full year. A nominee for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission attended the meeting, noting that rural communities feel targeted by industrial development and that large facilities like hyperscale data centers carry significant water demands, especially during drought.

The discussions center on the potential impacts of large-scale industrial projects on the county. The nominee warned that the effects of such developments—including noise, light, electric use, and water consumption—do not remain contained to the property they are built on. The moratorium is a direct measure taken by the county to manage these potential impacts.

OG&E had previously sought approval from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for a new tariff structure on June 18th.