Residents urge strict limits on data centers, cite water, fire and equity concerns

During the meeting's public‑comment period dozens of residents told the quorum court they oppose large data‑center projects in Pulaski County and urged adoption of strict local rules. Speakers described concerns ranging from local water capacity and emergency response capability to property values, environmental impacts and unequal burden on historically underserved communities.

Gregory Summers, a retired fire chief who said he spent more than four decades in fire service, explained how large energy‑storage systems used at modern data centers pose new challenges for volunteer fire departments: "Data centers... battery inventories equal or exceed those found in utility scale battery ... This presents a new generation of fire protection challenges," he said, urging an emergency‑planning and fire‑safety analysis. Other speakers, including Dustin Shriner and India Jackson, tied the issue to local water scarcity and the long‑term costs of decommissioned facilities.

Speakers repeatedly asked the court to pass 26I56 at the upcoming business meeting and to require rigorous site‑specific review before utilities and developers make irreversible infrastructure commitments. Several public speakers said they felt the county had been sidelined by developers and utility negotiations, and called for stronger local standards to protect water supplies, public safety and community resources. The court heard multiple personal testimonials on economic, environmental and civic fairness grounds; no developers or utility company spokespeople spoke during public comment.