Gov. Greg Abbott says data center developers have themselves to blame for community pushback

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has publicly criticized data center developers, stating they are responsible for the increasing community pushback across the state. Governor Abbott attributed this backlash to developers' perceived lack of collaboration with local governments, which he believes has exacerbated concerns among residents.

In response to these growing concerns, which primarily include high power demand, extensive water usage, and the overall impact on local communities, Governor Abbott recently issued a directive. This order mandates a pause on all new data center grid connection approvals while state regulators conduct a thorough review and audit of data center projects currently awaiting connection to the Texas power grid.