Talarico says data centers shouldn’t be ‘running over’ Texas communities and local governments
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico said data centers should not worsen the state's affordability crisis or override local communities. He called for developers to pay for their energy and water use, recycle water, and obtain meaningful local input before construction.
Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico said data center development should not proceed when projects cannot meet community demands or pay for their energy and water use. Speaking virtually at a United States Hispanic Business Council event, Talarico said developers should recycle water and involve local officials and residents in decisions about projects.
Talarico argued that large data centers are contributing to Texas' affordability crisis and criticized what he described as companies overriding local communities. He also accused Republican opponent Ken Paxton of accepting nearly half a million dollars in contributions from data center companies, while saying he had not accepted such donations. The discussion comes as data centers and artificial intelligence become increasingly prominent issues in Texas politics.