What information is accessible about a data center project can differ from place to place and depend on whether a project seeks out tax breaks, whether it needs local rezoning or special permits, and how it will get its power and water.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Data Centers in Texas
While data centers boom in Texas, their plans stay shrouded in secrecy
Data center developers can use nondisclosure agreements and shell companies to shield the details of their deals from the public. Even state officials also say they need more transparency from the industry.
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Investigations
Abbott threatened Corpus Christi over its water crisis but hasn’t intervened with a troubled river authority
A Nueces River Authority project could expand Corpus Christi’s water supply, but the Texas governor has done little about the agency’s financial problems despite choosing its board.
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Energy
Data center approvals in Texas halted until audits completed, Gov. Greg Abbott says
On Monday, the governor ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to audit all data centers wanting to connect to the state’s power grid.
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Hill Country floods
They’ve been hit by two major floods in two years. But Kerr County residents are staying.
Some say selling their property makes no financial sense even if they wanted to leave.
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Environment
Paxton lawsuit prompts end of federal endangered species protection for Texas lizard
The state’s attorney general sued the Biden administration in 2024, citing incomplete data for the updated endangered status of the Permian Basin’s native dunes sagebrush lizard.
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Hill Country floods
“Where are all the volunteers?” Kerr County faces worse flood damage with fewer resources
The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn’t started helping local governments or individuals, while philanthropic response lags compared to last year’s flood.
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Data Centers in Texas
Small plots of land fuel big suspicions among Lubbock residents, who fear it’s for a data center
Despite community concerns, the president of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance said neither piece of land would be conducive for a data center.
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Environment
Corpus Christi City Council rejects $60,000 community gift to benefit water desalination plant
The donation was intended to cover the cost of applying for a federal grant to build a city-owned treatment plant.
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Politics
“A deal with the devil”: Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas
Some see the AI facilities as a sign of the apocalypse, others see an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship.
