Texas will stop issuing environmental permits for data centers, Gov. Abbott says – Community Impact

Texas will stop issuing environmental permits for data centers, Gov. Abbott says  Community Impact

Texas environmental regulators must stop issuing new permits for data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sept. 21. His order expands an existing pause on data center development in the state amid consistent public criticism of the booming industry. Abbott, who is running for a fourth term as governor, has recently moved to slow the growth of data centers after calling Texas “the epicenter of AI development" last year. What's happening In a Sept. 21 letter , Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt all new data center permits while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , which operates the state power grid, conducts an audit of proposed data center projects.

That audit will likely wrap up by the end of the year and is expected to cover the tax exemptions data centers are receiving; their plans for water and electricity use; how they will limit disturbances to local communities; and who owns each proposed facility, Community Impact previously reported . One week earlier, the governor told the Texas Water Development Board to work with ERCOT to ensure "critical water use information" is collected from data center companies in addition to a mandatory survey that the TWDB sent to data centers and other entities early this year. As of Sept. 1 , about 30% of the 324 facilities