data centers

Across the state, fights are erupting in communities where residents’ concerns about water and electricity usage, noise and air pollution, and the threat of artificial intelligence are met with promises of construction jobs and lucrative property tax collections.

The Texas Water Development Board presented the state's water plan at a Texas House natural resources committee hearing yesterday, which does not currently include projections for water usage from data centers.

Energy regulators and industry experts warn that the state’s delays to major projects amid backlash from residents could create rolling blackouts and strangle growth of other industries that need power.

The state's power grid operator had already planned on auditing several data center proposals, but Abbott's directive reworks the timeline and adds new requirements.

Oklahomans are reporting sticker shock at the mailbox when opening their electric bills this summer. While artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to support them have become major subjects of public discourse, state lawmakers and regulators say they are only one part of a much larger explanation.

Around 100 people opposed to the proposed data center filled the Leavenworth County planning meeting room, pushing for more scrutiny on regulations. A countywide moratorium on data center development expired this week.

The president's comments to Punchbowl News come just days after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide pause of approval for data centers trying to connect to the power grid.

Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities.

Critics say the governor must call legislators to Austin to pass state laws regulating data centers.

As more and more data center developers submit proposals to build in Texas, questions about how they will impact Texas' grid and contribute to drought conditions across the state are widespread.