Texas leaders are welcoming data centers. Could it cost them in the midterms?
Political backlash is growing in Texas against the rapid expansion of data centers, with rural Republicans joining calls for a statewide moratorium due to concerns about energy and water usage. Governor Greg Abbott has begun to shift his stance, ordering regulators to impose limits and urging lawmakers to repeal sales tax exemptions for data centers. The issue is becoming a key factor in midterm elections, prompting advocacy groups and political figures to take action.
Texas is experiencing a significant political backlash against the proliferation of data centers, particularly from rural Republican voters who traditionally support the state's leaders. This opposition is challenging Governor Greg Abbott's initial embrace of the data center boom as an economic boon, as concerns mount over the immense power and water consumption of these facilities. In a notable shift, current Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller aligned with his Democratic challenger, Clayton Tucker, in Matagorda County, advocating for a statewide moratorium on data center construction, highlighting the bipartisan nature of the emerging issue.
Responding to the growing pressure, Governor Abbott has issued directives to state regulators, aiming to prevent data centers from passing infrastructure costs to ratepayers and urging the repeal of lucrative sales tax exemptions. He also vowed future legislative action to compel data centers to source their own power and reuse water. Advocacy groups like "Matagorda County Against Data Centers" and "Humans First," led by Tea Party activist Amy Kremer, successfully lobbied the GOP convention to prioritize giving counties more zoning control over data center locations, a significant departure from Texas's historical stance against local control.
Beyond utility concerns, residents voice fears about noise, fire risks from battery storage facilities, and broader anxieties about artificial intelligence and surveillance. While a new group, the Texas National Security Council, led by former Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, has launched to counter what it calls misinformation and promote data centers for national security, local companies like Barrio Energy in Matagorda County, developing smaller-scale data centers, are emphasizing their commitment to being good neighbors.
However, the scale of proposed developments remains a major concern, as exemplified by a large solar project from Linea Energy and Google in Matagorda County. This project, intended to power Google's data center expansion, has fueled local anxieties about its environmental impact and vast electricity output. Lifelong Republicans in affected areas are considering voting across party lines, signaling the potent political ramifications of the data center debate in upcoming elections.