Little Rock Board Rejects Data Center Permitting Moratorium

The Little Rock Board of Directors deadlocked in a 4-4 vote on August 5, 2026, rejecting a proposal to implement an 18-month moratorium on permitting for hyperscale data centers. Sponsored by City Director Kathy Webb, the measure sought to pause projects exceeding 250,000 square feet or 75 megawatts of grid power. The proposal specifically targeted a planned Google facility at the Port of Little Rock industrial park.

Supporters of the pause raised alarms over the facility's projected resource consumption, noting it would require 1 million gallons of water daily and 100,000 megawatts of electricity. City Attorney Tom Carpenter warned that implementing the moratorium could trigger lawsuits from Google for damages related to property value.

The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce opposed the measure, arguing that data centers provide positive community experiences. While the board had previously approved land sales to Google, the final decision to build remains pending the permitting process.