Texas legislators must manage data center development with thoughtful planning
A Texas State Representative from San Antonio calls on state lawmakers to carefully manage data center development due to concerns over their impact on water, electricity, infrastructure, and the environment. The article highlights local actions like San Marcos's ban and Hood County's attempted moratorium, emphasizing the need for new statewide policies. It points out specific resource consumption by data centers in San Antonio and the limitations of current tax incentive models.
State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio), representing Texas House District 116, has urged Texas legislators to implement thoughtful planning for data center development. In a guest column for the San Antonio Express-News, Rep. Fischer highlights significant concerns regarding the exponential increase in energy and water demands from modern data centers, particularly those supporting artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.
The representative details how current development models strain Texas's water supply, electric grid, and infrastructure, citing data from the San Antonio Water System that reported two data centers in San Antonio consuming hundreds of millions of gallons of water in 2024. He also raises environmental alarms about increased emissions from data centers building their own power plants, contributing to respiratory health issues. Fischer argues that the state's decade-old tax incentives for data centers are outdated, as these facilities require different resources and have a unique workforce compared to traditional industries.
Fischer notes that in the absence of cohesive state action, some cities have taken local measures, with San Marcos becoming the first city to ban data centers, and Hood County facing lawsuits over its attempt to enact a moratorium. He advocates for a comprehensive reevaluation of state policies to protect Texans' resources and ensure sustainable growth. Rep. Fischer affirmed his commitment to addressing these questions and ensuring San Antonio's voice is part of the legislative discussion in Austin.