Citizens of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have approved a three-year moratorium on data center construction on tribal lands.

State Rep. Nick Archer is helping lead an effort at the Oklahoma Capitol aimed at protecting groundwater resources across Western Oklahoma as lawmakers respond to growing concerns over water use tied to large data centers and artificial intelligence facilities.

A bill originally focused on groundwater permitting took a new turn recently as state lawmakers added provisions aimed at regulating water use by data centers, with a Western Oklahoma legislator leading the push.