Abbott goes after silent data centers

On September 14 the governor directed the Texas Water Development Board to pursue legal consequences against data centers that fail to report their water use. Past violations count too, not just future ones.

“Data centers must share the duty to protect Texas water.”

Skipping the survey is a crime

Recipients of the board's water-use survey must fill it out and send it back. Non-compliance can carry criminal consequences under Chapter 11 of the Texas Water Code.

No survey, no water permit

Abbott told the board to refer violations to county or district attorneys and to flag offenders to the TCEQ, which can disqualify them from new permits, amendments or renewals. Progress report due October 14.

Rural Texas wants a pause

State Rep. Helen Kerwin asked Abbott in March to pause large rural data center projects near the Comanche Peak nuclear plant until officials studied the resource hit, and to guarantee real public notice.

NDAs bred distrust

Erin Brockovich relayed complaints from residents shut out of decisions about nearby projects, pointing at nondisclosure agreements and thin communication. She noted disclosure and community benefits can flip that.

474 gigawatts of requests

An August 3 order already forced a PUC and ERCOT audit of data centers, with grid connection denied to projects that don't comply. ERCOT was weighing over 474 GW of requests, about 90% from data centers.

Some of that demand is fake

A September 1 Reuters review found many big power requests may be duplicates, or come from developers without the money or expertise to build. Speculative demand distorts planning and raises customer bills.

Developers pitch closed loops

Supporters cite construction jobs and tax revenue. Crusoe's Abilene expansion touts cooling that recirculates water in a closed loop with no evaporative loss, plus battery storage and solar.