Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling for a ban on new data center development in rural parts of the state. During a campaign stop in East Texas, Abbott stated that these data centers should not be built in rural neighborhoods, citing concerns about their impact on local communities.

Background

Abbott’s push for a prohibition in rural neighborhoods appears to go further than his earlier regulatory framework, which included requirements for data centers to add new power generation to the grid, pay for their own infrastructure costs, and implement measures to minimize their impact on residential communities.

Abbott reiterated his support for these measures, emphasizing that data centers must be responsible for funding their own projects and not rely on tax breaks. He also instructed the Public Utility Commission to guarantee that data center development does not harm Texans and local communities.

Local Response

Rural counties and activists have been attempting to pass moratoriums and calling for greater local control to prevent data center construction. Opponents argue that these large operations will put water availability and air quality at risk and increase power bills.

A recent Texas Tribune analysis found that nearly half of planned data centers in the state are set to be built in unincorporated areas, which has raised concerns among local residents. Public polling has shown that data centers are extremely unpopular amongst Texans, especially those living in rural areas.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.