James Talarico proposes regulations, guardrails for data center industry
Democratic US Senate candidate and State Representative James Talarico has proposed new regulations and 'guardrails' for the data center industry in Texas. He advocates for balancing growth with community protection, including measures to prevent utility bill increases, conserve water, and eliminate tax incentives for these companies. Talarico also criticized his opponent, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, for accepting political donations from the data center industry.
Democratic US Senate candidate and State Representative James Talarico has unveiled a plan to regulate the rapidly expanding data center industry in Texas. Talarico, speaking from the state Capitol, emphasized a need for balance between economic growth and protecting local communities, rather than calling for a moratorium on new projects.
His proposal includes common-sense regulations aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and community input, which he claims are currently lacking. Specifically, Talarico wants to curb the impact of data centers on utility bills and water usage. He also advocates for eliminating tax incentives for the data center industry, mirroring a stance previously taken by Governor Greg Abbott, suggesting the revenues could instead benefit communities by lowering costs for housing, childcare, and prescription drugs.
Talarico accused his opponent, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, of accepting thousands of dollars in political donations from the data center industry and giving them "sweetheart tax deals." Paxton's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on his stance or the donations. The discussion around data center regulation comes as state lawmakers have been holding hearings at the Texas Capitol, with another Senate committee hearing scheduled for next week to further explore the issue.