Muscogee Nation to Look at Data Center Development and AI - GovTech

During his penultimate State of the Nation address Saturday morning, Principal Chief David Hill cited community feedback in his support for legislation examining the role of data centers, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure on the reservation.

“We cannot prioritize development and business projects at the expense of our most precious resources: our air, land and water,” he said. “I’ve heard your concerns over the development of data centers and AI.”

A measure was approved later Saturday morning establishing a task force to address data sovereignty and the potential impact on the environment, cultural resources and cybersecurity. As per the legislation adopted Saturday the task force has 60 days to provide an interim report to the National Council.

The National Council previously rejected a proposal in fall 2025 to establish a data center complex in Okmulgee County in response to public pushback. Meta’s previously announced east Tulsa data center, Project Anthem, will be located within the Muscogee Nation’s reservation boundaries, as will two new Muskogee County facilities announced by Google in late 2025.

Hill’s nearly 30-minute speech also touched on the ongoing construction projects within the reservation, including new clinics in Holdenville and Sapulpa and a new 52,000-square-foot facility in Okmulgee that will house both the Muscogee Nation District Court and Supreme Court. The tribe’s court system currently shares a building with the legislative branch.

“This larger space and upgraded infrastructure will create a more adequate and streamlined process that will help support the needs of our judicial system as we continue to meet the demands of our jurisdictional responsibility,” he said.

FREEDMEN CITIZENSHIP

Unable to run for re-election in 2027 due to term limits, Hill also indirectly referenced ongoing litigation regarding the citizenship status of Muscogee freedmen descendants.

In July 2025, the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court sided with two descendants, Rhonda Grayson and Jeff Kennedy, and issued an opinion extending citizenship eligibility to the descendants of former freed slaves.

Hill issued an executive order the following month, instructing the tribe’s Citizenship Board to not issue any citizenship cards until the Muscogee Nation’s laws and policies are updated to reflect the Supreme Court ruling.

To date, Grayson, Kennedy and other freedmen descendants have not received their citizenship cards. Grayson and Kennedy’s attorneys filed a new federal lawsuit Thursday in the Western District of Oklahoma against Hill and the Muscogee Nation Citizenship Board.

As part of the July 2025 ruling, the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court struck down a 1979 amendment to the tribe’s constitution restricting citizenship eligibility to individuals who are the lineal descendants of Creeks listed on the final rolls compiled by the federal government via the Dawes Commission. All constitutional references to “by blood” citizenship were determined to be void, prompting questions and objections about whether the court overstepped its authority.

“I will not let a piece of paper tell me who I am,” Hill said with a shaky voice. “I was born Muscogee. I will die Muscogee Creek. Our ancestors have fought, bled and died for our freedom to protect our land, culture and traditions. I took the same oath as Second Chief and the National Council … to uphold the constitution and the laws of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Only you, the citizens of this great nation, can amend the constitution.

“Your rights were taken away.”

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