In Luther, Oklahoma, hundreds of residents blocked off Main Street and threatened officials with a citizen's arrest — and forced their town to vote to pause a proposed data center. That's just the beginning of today's story.
🏘️ **COMMUNITY** — Luther, Oklahoma's town council passed a moratorium on new data centers through December 31, 2026, after crowds overwhelmed the meeting hall so badly that the first session had to be postponed entirely. When leaders tried again, hundreds showed up outdoors, forcing officials to block off Main Street. Former lawyer Ron Durbin threatened a citizen's arrest over Open Meeting Act violations. The four-hour meeting ended with a unanimous moratorium.
⚖️ **LEGAL** — A Goodhue County judge issued a temporary restraining order halting all construction on Project Skyway, a Google-linked data center campus in Pine Island, Minnesota. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) sued, calling the environmental review "insufficient and illegal." Days before a key court hearing, Pine Island Mayor David Friese abruptly resigned, citing demands at his other job.
⚡ **POWER** — On June 18, 2026, FERC issued orders under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act to all six major U.S. regional grid operators — PJM, MISO, SPP, CAISO, ISO-NE, and NYISO — demanding they justify or reform how data centers connect to the grid. Facilities drawing more than 20 megawatts are in scope. Grid operators have 30 days to address AI power demand and 60 days to revise large-load tariffs.
🏗️ **NEW BUILD** — Amazon has committed $10 billion to a new hyperscale campus in Montgomery County, Missouri, creating 400+ permanent jobs. Amazon will pay 100% of the costs to connect to Ameren Missouri's grid — no ratepayer subsidies or discounts. Combined with Google's existing commitments, Missouri has now attracted $25 billion in hyperscale pledges.
💰 **INVESTMENT** — Applied Digital Corporation plans a $3.6 billion, 300-acre AI infrastructure campus called Delta Forge 1 in Boyce, Louisiana — a small community in rural Rapides Parish. The project follows Applied Digital's $1.59 billion senior secured notes offering earlier this month.
