1. United States
2. Ark.
3. Letter

I’m writing as your constituent to urge you to oppose tax incentives and subsidies for data center projects coming into Arkansas. The job numbers don’t add up. These projects bring in billions of dollars of investment but only a few hundred permanent jobs. That ratio doesn’t justify the utility rate increases residents will end up paying to support them. I’m not asking you to ban data centers. If a company wants to build one here, that’s their call to make. But it should be on their dime, not ours. Here’s what I’d ask you to push for: • No tax incentives for data center developers. • Developers must pay for all new infrastructure their facility requires — power generation, transmission upgrades, water — without passing those costs on to existing ratepayers. • The state sets the requirements; it’s on the developer to meet them or build somewhere else. These companies are doing this for profit. If the economics only work when the public subsidizes their power and water infrastructure, that’s not a deal worth making. We don’t need the jobs or the noise badly enough to ask our neighbors to pay higher utility bills for it. I’d appreciate knowing where you stand on this, and I’ll be watching how you vote. Thank you for your time,