Data Center Defiance: Temple Residents Vow Recalls After 4-0 Council Vote

The Temple City Council has controversially approved the annexation and rezoning of over 185 acres in east Temple for the “Rowan Ranger” data center project, marking the third such facility by Rowan Digital Infrastructure in the city. The decision, made after a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting, was met with heated resistance from nearly 150 local residents, culminating in a 4-0 council vote with one abstention from Council member Zoe Grant due to a potential conflict of interest. Following the vote, opposition leaders Sarah and Joe Royer announced their intent to organize a recall petition against Mayor Tim Davis and Council members Jessica Walker and Mike Pilkington. Residents raised significant concerns regarding the data center's resource consumption, particularly water, and the lack of mandatory environmental impact studies. Rowan representatives, including Director of Economic Development Aaron Henry and Senior Manager of Procurement Steve Edwards, defended the project by highlighting its minimum $2.1 billion investment, projected $8.4 million in property taxes (after a 50% abatement period), and the creation of 120 jobs. They also stated the facility would use a “closed-loop” water system, requiring an initial 2.5 million gallons of city water and a trucked-in glycol-water mixture for its internal cooling loop. Mayor Davis defended the absence of environmental impact studies by citing Texas property rights laws.