EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso city representative who initially voted to approve an incentive agreement that paved the way for a META data center in Northeast El Paso is now proposing a policy that would prevent the city from pursuing another data center project.

Chris Canales, who represents District 8 in West, Central, South-Central and Downtown El Paso, announced Tuesday, May 19, on social media that he is launching a proposal titled “Policy Direction to Not Pursue Data Centers.”

The proposal is listed as an agenda item for City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, May 26.

“We know much more now than we did even a few years ago about the massive electricity, water, and infrastructure demands associated with large, AI-supporting data center facilities. As a desert community, we have to think carefully about what kinds of growth align with our long-term future. In my opinion, hyperscale data centers aren’t the right fit for the Borderland,” Canales said in the post.

According to a social media post, the proposal, if adopted, will serve as the general policy for future discussions and actions regarding the development of a hyperscale data center. The policy states that such a center should “not be actively recruited, pursued, or incentivized,” which does not align with the City’s long-term sustainability and infrastructure goals.

“That hyperscale data center shall not be considered for tax abatements, rebates, permit fee waivers, public financing assistance, economic development grants or similar economic development tools,” the post read in part.

The policy will also direct the City Manager to continue the ongoing development of a future-focused Data Center Policy Framework for consideration by City Council.

As KTSM previously reported, the City held multiple community meetings for public input on the policy framework. The framework would be used to evaluate future long-term projects and how they would affect residents, resources, economic development and other impacts associated with data centers.

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“City Council directed staff to develop a proposed Data Center Policy Framework shaped by community input and informed by long-term impacts on infrastructure and utilities,” City Manager Dionne Mack said. “That is the work before us. Council did not direct staff to cancel the existing Meta 380 agreement. Our role is to engage the public, evaluate the facts, and return to Council with recommendations that reflect the community’s priorities and help guide future decisions.”

Many residents in previous community meetings have spoken against the data center and many felt that their questions were not answered.

“I just want to know more about what data centers are all about and how they could affect our water, our electricity and things like that,” one resident said.

“El Pasoans are increasingly asking broader questions about what kind of growth we want to encourage as a community. Not every project that brings investment is automatically the right fit for a desert city facing long-term challenges around water, energy, infrastructure and climate resilience,” Canales said in the post. “We know much more now than we did just a few years ago about the scale of the resource demands associated with hyperscale data centers supporting AI, particularly their impacts on electricity demand, water consumption and supporting infrastructure.”

“My proposal is about setting a clear direction for the future and recognizing that while these large data centers can generate substantial tax revenue to fund public services, they also come with very real tradeoffs that we have to take seriously as we decide what our future economy should look like,” Canales said.

Canales also encourages residents to speak at the next City Council meeting about the proposed policy, by signing up to speak in person or sending a written comment to CityClerk@elpasotexas.gov with the subject “Item #22.”

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