Texas Faces Growing Backlash Over AI Data Center Water and Power Usage
Texas is seeing a surge in AI data center development due to its favorable regulatory environment and independent power grid, with at least 248 facilities planned. However, this growth has triggered significant bipartisan opposition, particularly in rural areas. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and other political candidates warn that these "warehouses full of computers" could drain critical water supplies and drive up electricity costs for farmers and local residents. While some county leaders claim they lack the legal power to block development in unincorporated areas, tech giants are attempting to mitigate the backlash. Google has pledged $10 million toward Texas water initiatives and is implementing closed-loop cooling and co-location strategies near power plants to reduce the…
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Candidate for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture warns AI data centers could drain water and drive up power bills
A TikTok creator is drawing attention to a fast-growing concern around AI infrastructure: whether large data centers could put added strain on local water supplies and electric grids.
Candidate for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture warns AI data centers could drain water and drive up power bills
In his post, Tucker urged viewers to sign a petition opposing AI data centers in Texas, framing the issue as one of resource protection and fairness. Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades.
Concerns in other states focus on the high electricity and water usage of data centers. Texas is appealing to developers due to its available land, regulatory environment, and independent power grid. The growing demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital services is driving the construction ...
Google pledges to invest $10M in Texas water amid AI data center backlash
Construction workers build out ... at the NTT Data center campus in Garland, Texas, March 4, 2026. It will take 40 of those water-filled chillers to cool the fourth data center built on the property.Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News...
'Trying to take advantage of country bumpkins': Texas counties say they can't stop 248 planned data centers
A recent analysis found that Texas has at least 248 planned data centers. Almost half would be in unincorporated areas whose leaders said they have almost no power to stop them, the Texas Tribune reported. In places like Hood County, the AI boom has become a local battle over water, electricity, ...
Data centers in Texas: Google launches water fund, stewardship plan | FOX 7 Austin
Google says it will be building a new type of data center complex in the Texas Panhandle, which is an expansion of a combo-concept used at other sites, such as in Midlothian and Haskell County. The idea is to co-locate near to new power generation plants. Google's publicly announced centers in Texas include: Midlothian/Red Oak in Ellis County: operational, operational and expansion; evaporative cooled, but expansion will be closed loop air...
AI Data Centers’ Water Consumption Breaks 264 Billion Gallons in 2025 as Devastating Drought Hits Nearly 63% of U.S.
While supporters argue the project ... increasingly strained water resources. The debate unfolding in Tennessee reflects a larger national question: as drought conditions spread across much of the country, how much water should be allocated to powering the AI boom?...
A row of diesel powered back-up ... Morning News · GOP leaders have largely supported the state’s data center boom, even as Texans in conservative rural areas are increasingly opposed to new development. ... Unlike cities, county governments don’t have the power to block development. In May, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller ...
There's growing bipartisan opposition to data centers in Texas. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller continues his crusade against the warehouses full of computers with an event in Bay City, one week from today. He says farmers, especially, don't want data centers in their back yard. He says data cen
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