Texas coalition urges pause on data center water deals, calls for more local control
A Texas coalition of civil rights and grassroots groups is urging a pause and review of water commitments made for data centers, citing transparency concerns and potential impacts on future water supplies. In Lubbock, residents' petition has prompted the City Council to consider a 90-day moratorium on large data centers.
We the People Texas, a coalition including the Texas NAACP and rural advocacy groups, called at the state Capitol in Austin for greater transparency and a review of water agreements involving data centers. Coalition members said some deals may provide large amounts of water at discounted rates without sufficient public oversight and warned of impacts on the Ogallala Aquifer and communities including those in Hill County.
Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe and Save Rural Texas co-founder Jet Parker urged lawmakers and local officials to give counties more authority over data center development and water-use limits. The campaign comes as the Texas attorney general's office investigates facilities that did not respond to a state water-use survey, while Gov. Greg Abbott has directed a pause on new data center permit requests as agencies assess power and water needs.
In Lubbock, NAACP organizer Phyllis Gant said residents have organized a petition opposing large data center development. The Lubbock City Council has begun considering a 90-day moratorium, although the coalition's requested review of water commitments is separate from the state's permit pause.