Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Moratoriums and bans

1. Aug. 13, 2026 Houston: Ban (proposed; failed 4-2). An ordinance introduced in June by council member Lisa Johansen to bar data center construction within city limits failed 4-2; opponents preferred general zoning rules, and a council member said he would propose a moratorium while those are written (not found adopted). (Alaska Public Media (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), July 15, 2026; Mat-Su Sentinel, Aug. 18, 2026)

Updates, newest first

1. Oct. 14, 2026 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · The Senate Resources Committee voted to subpoena DNR Commissioner John Crowther; its chair said the no-cost transfer raises legislative appropriation concerns. DNR said he will appear Oct. 26. (Alaska Public Media, Oct. 15, 2026)
2. Sept. 14, 2026 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · DNR's written comment period (opened July 10) closed; an environmental group counted more than 2,000 comments by late August, and DNR was still reviewing them in mid-October. (Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water (Alaska Online Public Notices), Aug. 24, 2026; Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Aug. 25, 2026; Alaska Public Media (from KTNA), Oct. 19, 2026)
3. Aug. 13, 2026 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · The Houston City Council voted unanimously to oppose DNR's transfer process. (Mat-Su Sentinel, Aug. 18, 2026)
4. Aug. 13, 2026 Houston: Ban (proposed; failed 4-2) · An ordinance introduced in June by council member Lisa Johansen to bar data center construction within city limits failed 4-2; opponents preferred general zoning rules, and a council member said he would propose a moratorium while those are written (not found adopted). (Alaska Public Media (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), July 15, 2026; Mat-Su Sentinel, Aug. 18, 2026)
5. July 30, 2026 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · AIDEA's executive director wrote Mat-Su legislators that no project, data center tenant, power source or water plan exists and that data centers are only one possible use. (Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, July 30, 2026)
6. July 2026 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · DNR issued a 41-page preliminary decision finding the conveyance in the state's best interest; reporting said AIDEA's plan lists a logistics hub, power and gas transmission, manufacturing pads and scalable data centers. (Alaska Public Media (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), July 15, 2026; Alaska Public Media, Oct. 15, 2026)
7. March 27, 2026 Terra Energy Center data center marketing site (Port MacKenzie) · The borough manager said no data center proposals had been received. (Anchorage Daily News, March 27, 2026)
8. March 17, 2026 Terra Energy Center data center marketing site (Port MacKenzie) · After Mayor Edna DeVries vetoed it, the Assembly overrode the veto 6-1; more than a dozen people testified against data centers in Mat-Su. (Anchorage Daily News (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), March 19, 2026)
9. March 2, 2026 Terra Energy Center data center marketing site (Port MacKenzie) · The Mat-Su Assembly approved the Terra partnership resolution 5-2; the borough had also issued a request for interest seeking data centers or other large power users. (Anchorage Daily News (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), March 11, 2026)
10. Dec. 2025 AIDEA Houston industrial and energy development district · AIDEA applied to DNR for the land, per reporting. (Alaska Public Media (from the Mat-Su Sentinel), July 15, 2026)

Statewide

No data center tax incentive: Alaska is not among the 34 states that offer data center incentives, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures as reported in April 2026, and no incentive bill was found in the 34th Legislature (2025-2026). (Alaska's News Source (KTUU), April 30, 2026) SB 250 (2026, Sen. Löki Gale Tobin) would have required commission-approved utility contracts for data centers, barred rolling costs that exist only because of a data center into other customers' rates, as introduced called for community benefit agreements, and as amended required financial security above $1 million of utility investment plus a water plan; it passed the Senate 14-5 on reconsideration May 16, 2026, was heard and held in House Community and Regional Affairs May 18 and died when the session ended. (Alaska State Legislature, May 18, 2026; Alaska State Legislature (office of Sen. Löki Gale Tobin), 2026; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, June 29, 2026) Large-load tariffs: no Regulatory Commission of Alaska docket on a data center or large-load tariff, and no utility contract with a data center, was found; the commission's April 30, 2026 briefing to the House Energy Committee lists none. Chugach Electric says any large new customer should pay its full cost of service through contributions in aid of construction and long-term commitments, and Golden Valley Electric says such costs would be assigned to the customer under RCA oversight. (Regulatory Commission of Alaska, April 30, 2026; Anchorage Daily News, May 5, 2026) State land: DNR is handling data center sites through ordinary land law, a 50-year negotiated lease under AS 38.05.070(d) for the STAK campus (ADL 422741) and a proposed no-cost conveyance of about 19,950 acres to AIDEA near Houston (ADL 234762), which the Senate Resources Committee is examining. (Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas, May 12, 2026; Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water (Alaska Online Public Notices), Aug. 24, 2026; Alaska Public Media, Oct. 15, 2026) Alaska data centers →