Sid Miller says Republicans will lose statewide elections due to data center development, backlash

The Texas agriculture commissioner has openly criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for not taking a stronger stand against data center development. The governor has ignored him.

by Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune August 8, 2026August 8, 2026

LUBBOCK — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Thursday that Republicans are going to lose some statewide elections this year because of data centers, which has become a heated issue for Texas across the state. In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Miller also called out Gov. Greg Abbott for what he says is inaction […]

Texas News

Critics blast Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s pause on data centers as ‘political theater’

Abbott’s moratorium rings hollow to some critics after he accepted $2.5 million in the past few months alone from donors who benefit from the Texas AI boom.

by Stephanie Koithan August 4, 2026August 4, 2026

A data center houses a server rack with supercomputer hardware.

Texas News

Texas regulators seek more authority from governor, lawmakers to respond to data center influx

Energy regulators say they don’t have the authority to ask data centers to reduce power consumption ahead of state emergencies.

by Stephanie Koithan July 28, 2026July 28, 2026

San Antonio News

Report: San Antonio data centers will use enough energy to power 3 million homes

San Antonio has 68 data centers either planned or already operating in the area, and their energy demands are Texas-sized.

by Stephanie Koithan July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

Texas News

Texas leads nation in proposed power plants for data centers, which would emit large amounts of greenhouse gases

Nearly half of the power plants planned to supply electricity for data centers would be in Texas. Experts warn they will emit significant pollution that could harm the health of communities nearby.

by Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune July 1, 2026July 1, 2026

News

Texas Republicans and Democrats stake out divergent takes on data centers at their conventions

Texas Democrats adopted a data center moratorium during the party’s statewide convention last weekend. State Republicans are divided on the issue.

by Stephanie Koithan June 30, 2026June 30, 2026

Rena Schroeder poses for a portrait on her ranch where she runs an equine learning nonprofit and cares for rescue livestock in Lott on May 4, 2026.

Texas News

Texas Republicans have a data center problem

Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.

By Taylor GoldensteinMay 7, 2026May 7, 2026

Construction continues on the Meta Platforms data center complex on a 1,000-acre site in far Northeast El Paso, near the Texas-New Mexico state line, as seen March 12, 2026.

Texas News

Texas is giving data centers more than $1 billion in tax breaks each year

The tax break is one of the state’s costliest incentive programs and soon to be the most expensive of its kind in the nation.

by Paul Cobler, The Texas Tribune April 8, 2026April 8, 2026

Texas News

Texas could become the world’s largest AI data center hub by 2030

Hotspots within Texas are also experiencing a shift, with the Austin-San Antonio corridor’s growth surpassing the disaster-prone Houston and maxed-out Dallas.

by Stephanie Koithan April 3, 2026April 3, 2026

Data centers such as this one operated by DataBank in Houston are already heavy consumers of water, and Texas is building dozens more.

Texas News