Texas regulators aren't keeping up with data centers

Texas is experiencing a rapid expansion of AI data centers, with the Dallas-Fort Worth area identified as an epicenter. While state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, promote the economic benefits and offer tax breaks to tech companies, concerns are mounting regarding the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's (TCEQ) capacity to regulate the industry effectively. Kathryn Guerra, TCEQ Watchdog Campaign director for Public Citizen, highlights the agency's shortcomings in a Dallas News article. The TCEQ, responsible for issuing permits for gas-powered turbines, diesel generators, and wastewater discharge from data centers, reportedly issued 9,000 new permits last year. However, its performance metrics reveal significant failures in other core functions. The agency conducted the fewest on-site compliance inspections in eight years in 2025, with a continuous decline over previous years. It also lagged in responding to over 9,200 environmental complaints received in 2025, with more than 2,000 originating from the Dallas-Fort Worth area; over half of these took 30 days or longer for an initial response. The enforcement process for permit violations is slow, with a backlog of nearly 1,400 cases that would take 35 years to clear at the current rate. Furthermore, TCEQ commissioners regularly dismiss public comments and deny hearing requests for permits, and their own performance goals for air and water quality often fall short. Public Citizen's requests for improved performance were met with offense by Abbott-appointed TCEQ Chair Brooke Paup, underscoring the perceived disconnect between the agency's leadership and its regulatory responsibilities.