Newly formed commission set to advise Fort Worth on data center regulations
Fort Worth has established a Data Center & Infrastructure Commission to evaluate data center developments and propose regulations concerning environmental impacts, community concerns, and economic development. The City Council also voted to begin the legal process for a temporary moratorium on new data center permitting and construction. The commission's initial recommendations are expected by November 3.
The Fort Worth City Council has established an 11-member Data Center & Infrastructure Commission to research and evaluate the city's data center developments and provide recommendations on how to regulate them. Chaired by Michael Slattery, an environmental professor at Texas Christian University, the commission is tasked with a "comprehensive, fact-based evaluation" of data centers' impacts on electricity, water, economic development, and community concerns such as setback, noise, and lighting. Its aim is to prevent the concentration of data centers in historically industrialized or underserved neighborhoods.
The commission, formed on Tuesday, is expected to deliver its initial report of recommendations to the City Council at a November 3 work session. The council voted 10-1 to create the commission on August 11, following testimony from nearly 50 speakers who advocated for a committee with strong Fort Worth resident representation. Council member Macy Hill cast the sole dissenting vote for the commission's creation but recused herself from the subsequent 10-0 vote to appoint Slattery.
In addition to forming the commission, council members also voted during their Tuesday evening meeting to initiate the legal process for a moratorium, which aims to temporarily halt permitting and construction of new data center projects within city limits. They also moved to establish application filing requirements for developers. This action comes amidst increasing scrutiny in Fort Worth and across Texas regarding the rapidly growing data center industry and its potential strain on natural resources.