North Texas county explores data center moratorium
News ClipE&E News by POLITICO·Granbury, Hood County, TX·3/2/2026
A rural Texas county, Hood County, is exploring a data center moratorium in response to pressure from residents concerned about the impact of data centers on water usage and other issues. Local officials are unsure if a moratorium would be legal, and are seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney General's office to clarify their authority. The tensions pit data center developers building for the AI industry against local landowners worried about the effects on their community.
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Gov: Hood County Board of Supervisors, Texas Attorney General's Office
A rural county in Texas, Hood County, has explored imposing a moratorium on data center construction amid concerns from residents over issues like water use and noise. The county commissioners have held votes on the moratorium but turned it down, unsure if such a ban would be legal. The developer of a proposed data center in the area says the site is designed to minimize impacts. The state attorney general's office is being asked to clarify the county's authority, but a statewide policy is unlikely to resolve tensions between data center developers and local landowners worried about the effects.