Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. wrote that the Tahlequah-based tribe, which has the most enrolled tribal members in the U.S., will protect citizens from threats to the environment and culture.
"It's clear that our Cherokee Nation Administration, Council, and citizens have serious concerns about the construction of hyperscale data centers on our tribal lands, which affect our resources and cultural lifeways," Hoskin wrote. "Our primary responsibility is to protect our citizens and tribal communities from these threats, so we will not support any hyperscale data centers on our reservation without proper consultation."
That also goes for non-tribal land, he said.
The tribe wrote on its Anadisgoi website that it will not consider data centers on non-tribal land within the reservation unless the tribal government and citizenry are consulted, adding that those projects ultimately impact Cherokee Nation citizens. The consultation must address environmental concerns and include community input, according to the nation.
Another member of the Five Tribes in Oklahoma, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, banned data centers on its lands in March. The Muscogee Nation is currently investigating data center impacts.
The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma in McLoud, which is not a member of the Five Tribes, also opposes data centers.
Data center report
Hoskin's decision follows a report the tribe released Wednesday that researched potential impacts and opportunities data centers could bring to the reservation. It was mandated via an executive order Hoskin issued in February.
The report, created by the Principal Chief's Task Force on Data Centers, surveyed nearly 1,600 tribal citizens about the subject. It revealed 64% of respondents were opposed to data centers, while 14% were favorable. The remaining are marked as "unsure."
At least two data centers are being developed within the Cherokee reservation: Project Clydesdale near Owasso and Project Mustang in Claremore.
Report authors wrote that the tribe has limited influence over development on non-tribal land, but it has full authority on trust and tribally owned land.
Cherokee Nation's Office of Real Estate Services reports it oversees around 46,000 acres of restricted land, more than 62,000 acres of tribal trust land and more than 5,100 acres of tribal fee land. The Cherokee Nation reservation in northeastern Oklahoma covers around 7,000 square miles, or around 4.4 million acres.
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