Last week, Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller called on Governor Greg Abbott to convene a Special Session of the Texas Legislature regarding the unchecked expansion of large-scale data centers.
He warned that waiting until the regular session in January could jeopardize Texas agriculture, rural communities, precious water resources and the state’s electric grid.
The action was influenced by recent reports that ERCOT may begin approving a major wave of data center projects known as “Batch Zero” early next spring.
Miller said he fears that by the time the legislature convenes in January, it could be “too late” to stop or regulate the project, because by then the project may be committed and under construction or positioned to be grandfathered under existing law.
“The clock is ticking,” Miller said in a press release. “Every day we wait, more projects move closer to becoming permanent. Waiting until January risks making any legislative action little more than an afterthought and cedes commonsense Republican leadership on the most important issue to rural Texans to Democrats.”
Miller referred to calling on Abbott’s help as “taking him at his word” as the governor made recent statements regarding his awareness of the risks posed by unchecked data center expansion.
“Words alone won’t protect Texas,” says Miller. “If he [Abbott] is serious, he should call a Special Session now.” Miller has gone so far as to openly question the motives behind Abbott’s recent change in opinion toward data centers.
“Is Abbott genuinely committed to slowing this unchecked expansion, or is he sending a signal to data center developers, their investors and campaign contributors that they still have a window to accelerate projects so they can be grandfathered in before the legislature has an opportunity to act?”
Also in the press release, Miller sought to emphasize that his desire for regulated data-center expansion is not a desire to be technologically regressive.
“This isn’t about being anti-technology,” he says. “We can grow our economy without sacrificing productive farmland, depleting our water supplies, overloading our electric grid or threatening the future of rural Texas.”