Texas US Senate candidates talk policy, tariffs, war, borders ahead of election
The article compares Texas U.S. Senate candidates' positions on data center regulation, including power and water infrastructure costs, efficiency requirements, tax incentives, grid protections and whether facilities should be barred from residential areas. The candidates support varying levels of oversight, but the article does not report a specific data center project or government action.
Texas Senate candidates Ken Paxton, James Talarico and Ted Brown outlined differing views on data center regulation in a questionnaire conducted by The Texas Tribune. Paxton supports conditions on development, including more efficient water systems, requiring the industry to pay infrastructure costs and ending state sales-tax breaks; he also favors allowing off-grid power systems under the DATA Act and locating facilities away from homes.
Talarico said large data centers should fund needed infrastructure, face minimum federal standards protecting the grid, environment and jobs, and remain subject to local community decisions. Brown opposed taxpayer subsidies and said developers should demonstrate adequate power and water supplies, while suggesting facilities that cause noise or pollution may not belong in residential neighborhoods. The article discusses statewide policy positions rather than a specific Texas data center project or enacted regulation.