Fort Worth, TCU set to announce members of newly formed data center advisory committee
Fort Worth officials are set to announce the members of the newly formed Data Center & Infrastructure Commission, an advisory group tasked with providing recommendations on how to regulate data centers. This commission was formed after the City Council voted to begin the process of a data center moratorium. The group will address concerns including zoning, land use, electricity usage, water, air quality, noise, and distance setbacks.
Fort Worth, Texas, is poised to announce the 11 members of its new Data Center & Infrastructure Commission this Thursday. This advisory body, led by Texas Christian University professor Michael Slattery, was established by the Fort Worth City Council on August 11, the same meeting where the council initiated the process for a data center moratorium.
The commission's mandate is to provide comprehensive, fact-based recommendations to the council by their November 3 work session on regulating supercomputer hubs. Key areas of focus include their impact on electricity, energy, water, economic development, and community concerns regarding noise, lighting, and appropriate distance setbacks from other infrastructure. The goal is to prevent data center concentration in historically underserved or industrialized areas.
Several appointed members have already been identified. John MacFarlane, conservation chair of the Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club, and Krista Erbe, a founding member of the 2871 Community Coalition—an advocacy group that has voiced opposition to Edged Data Center's project in southwest Fort Worth—have both confirmed their participation. Ambika Sharma, a candidate for the Tarrant Appraisal District's board, who has frequently raised concerns about data center developments at city meetings, also confirmed her seat on the commission.