Data center growth in Texas fuels cross-party backlash and local bans

October 19, 2026

A Burnet County resident told the Texas House Committee on State Affairs on August 19 that utility companies had proposed placing power infrastructure across his property and above his home to serve data centers. He said the proposed projects have pushed him, a lifelong straight-ticket Republican, toward voting for a Democrat for the first time.

The growth of data centers in Texas has provoked similar complaints elsewhere. Opponents raise concerns about heavy water consumption, increased noise and light, and harms to local landscapes. They also worry about transmission upgrades, including proposed 765 kilovolt power lines, and the prospect that those lines could be routed across private land under eminent domain.

Texas already hosts more than 300 data centers, with hundreds more planned, and communities from small towns to suburbs have voiced opposition at city council and utility meetings. San Marcos, Taylor, Red Oak and parts of Tarrant County have all seen public fights over proposed projects and related zoning or permitting decisions.

San Marcos voters and activists blocked a planned data center project led by developer John Mayberry, turning back a proposal that city opponents said would have drawn about 25 million gallons of water a year and ended a $1.5 billion development plan. The city went on to ban data centers within its limits, the first municipality in Texas to adopt such a restriction.

In Taylor residents cited a separate dispute over land once sold to a public trust to become a park, which later changed hands several times and is now the site of a proposed data center. Neighbors have urged local leaders to honor the property’s original intent and to reconsider approvals that would allow the project to proceed.

The political fallout has reached statewide leaders. In August Governor Greg Abbott issued a moratorium on data center related permits and directed the state Public Utilities Commission and ERCOT to audit sites to determine water and electricity needs. State officials have not clarified what regulatory actions, if any, will follow from those audits.

The issue has produced unusual alliances. A member of an anti-data-center coalition described people from across the political spectrum uniting around private property rights and concerns about generational land. Republican Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller appeared with a Democratic candidate at an anti-data-center forum, citing agreement on the issue despite party differences.

As the midterm election approaches, local fights and state-level responses have made data centers a high-profile political topic. Voters and officials remain uncertain whether the current scrutiny will lead to lasting policy changes after the election cycle ends.