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Texas Lawmakers Seek More Transparency From Data Centers Amid Concerns over Water and Power Demand
Lawmakers say limited company responses and new surveys leave Texas without key data on water use and grid demand as 248 more projects are planned.
- During a nearly 10-hour hearing on Wednesday, June 23, the Texas House Natural Resources Committee examined how increasing data center demand affects natural resources, energy infrastructure, and local communities.
- Rapid industry expansion prompted the scrutiny, with 335 existing data centers and at least 248 more planned across Texas as lawmakers seek information to regulate the sector's impact on water and electrical grids.
- State officials reported only about 17% of facilities submitted required water-use data, prompting State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, to call the response rate "terrible," while Committee Chairman Rep. Cody Harris noted companies including Diode Ventures and Calypso declined to testify.
- Harris signaled lawmakers will strengthen disclosure and enforcement requirements during the 2027 legislative session, asserting that "transparency of utilization of resources shouldn't be optional" for data center operators.
- Projections show Texas faces significant water shortages, yet lawmakers lack reliable consumption data to accurately determine how data center expansion impacts communities already confronting limited supplies amid drought and aquifer depletion.
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13 Articles
The Lufkin News+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Hundreds of data centers are coming to Texas. Here’s what you need to know.
In the span of a couple years, hundreds of massive electricity- and water-hungry data centers have proposed construction in Texas — a veritable gold rush for those capitalizing on the sudden demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Texas races for data center crown, but most companies won't say how much water they use
Texas is edging closer to the top spot in the U.S. data center market, but lawmakers have said they still do not have a clear accounting of how much water many of those projects require. That question came into focus again at a June hearing in Austin, where officials said fewer than one-third of the companies contacted answered state questions about water and electricity needs. What happened? To get a better picture of the needs of large-scale …
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Left
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Left
55% Left
L 55%
C 45%
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