El Paso City Council votes to uphold Meta data center incentive agreement
The El Paso City Council voted 5-3 against pursuing the termination of an incentive agreement with Meta for its data center project in Northeast El Paso. This decision was made despite significant public opposition citing concerns over water and energy resources, and after warnings from Mayor Johnson about potential legal costs.
Hundreds of El Paso residents gathered at City Hall as the City Council considered terminating an incentive agreement with Meta for a proposed data center in Northeast El Paso. Concerns raised by community members, including attorney and organizer Veronica Carbajal from the Sembrando Esperanza Coalition, primarily revolved around the strain on local resources such as water and electricity. Carbajal described the contract between Meta and the City of El Paso as a "predatory contract" and argued that breaking it would be worthwhile despite potential legal costs.
Mayor Johnson had cautioned that dissolving the contract could incur hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees, which would be borne by the public. Meta, in a letter to Mayor Johnson and the City Council, addressed resource consumption concerns, asserting the data center would utilize a closed-loop liquid cooling system to minimize water usage and pledged to restore 200 percent of the water consumed. The company also highlighted the project's economic value, noting it would be one of the largest data center campuses in Texas.
Ultimately, the El Paso City Council voted 5-3 against pursuing the termination of the incentive agreement. This decision means the project is expected to move forward, despite ongoing community opposition and resource concerns.