Oklahoma HB 2992 data center ratepayer protection (2026)

Oklahoma — HB 2992, the Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026 (Signed August 6, 2026)
Oklahoma · Okla. H.B. 2992 (2026) (Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026)

Status
In effect
Took effect
August 6, 2026
Applies to
Large-scale energy users including data center operators in Oklahoma; regulated utilities and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in allocating costs.
Enforced by
Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Oklahoma enacted the Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, House Bill 2992, authored by Rep. Brad Boles and Sen. Grant Green. Governor Stitt marked the signing on August 6, 2026 together with a companion groundwater law. The Act's purpose is to keep Oklahoma families, small businesses and ordinary utility customers from carrying the utility and infrastructure costs that large-scale energy users create. The Senate added transparency requirements before passage, so the law does disclosure work as well as cost allocation. Oklahoma passed it alongside Senate Bill 259, the Groundwater Modernization Act, and legislators presented the two together as a package: one law addressing who pays for power and infrastructure, the other addressing water. That pairing is notable — most states in 2026 addressed electricity or water, rarely both in the same session, and Oklahoma is one of the few to legislate on the two constraints at once.

Who is protected: Oklahoma families, small businesses and traditional utility ratepayers, protected from bearing the utility and infrastructure costs created by large-scale energy users including data centers.

Legal detail

Oklahoma House Bill 2992, the Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, authored by Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) and Sen. Grant Green (R-Wellston), ceremonially signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on August 6, 2026. Core purpose: prevent Oklahoma families, small businesses and traditional utility customers from bearing utility and infrastructure costs created by large-scale energy users — a cost-allocation statute directed at the treatment of hyperscale load. The Senate added transparency requirements to the bill before final passage, so the enacted text combines cost protection with disclosure. Enacted as part of a two-law package with SB 259, the Groundwater Modernization Act (see Oklahoma SB 259 Groundwater Modernization Act (2026)), which handles water reporting and enforcement; Oklahoma is among the few states in 2026 to legislate on both the electricity and water constraints in the same session. Statutory effective date not established from available coverage — the August 6 date is the signing event, and Oklahoma bills commonly carry a November 1 effective date as SB 259 does, so effective_date here should be treated as the signing date pending confirmation of the operative date in the enrolled text.

Key facts

JurisdictionOklahoma
LevelState
StrengthModerate
EnactedAugust 6, 2026
CitationOkla. H.B. 2992 (2026) (Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026)
Private right of actionNo, agency enforcement only
PenaltiesNot established from available coverage
Topicsdata-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI
Agency pageLawmakers Mark Signing of Landmark Data Center Protections — Oklahoma House of Representatives

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