Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that technology companies developing data centers have faced backlash due to their failure to gain support from local communities. Abbott recently imposed a moratorium on new data center developments in Texas until state regulators can audit proposed sites seeking connection to the electric grid. He emphasized the importance of local community support for data center operations in the state.
The moratorium includes guidelines for data centers regarding their water and electricity consumption, requiring them to help reduce electricity costs for ratepayers and avoid disrupting local neighborhoods. Abbott expressed concerns over the rapid development of data centers, which he noted often occur in previously unrecognized areas, and criticized developers for not collaborating with local governments.
During an interview, Abbott clarified that while environmental regulators approved a Meta data center project in El Paso quickly, the approval was at the local level, and developers would still need to comply with state standards to connect to the power grid. Texas currently has 335 operational data centers and at least 248 more planned, ranking second in the U.S. for the number of data centers behind Virginia.