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Brazoria County has joined a growing number of local governments across Texas in passing a resolution outlining desired regulations for data centers built within its jurisdiction.
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, all five members of the Brazoria County Commissioners Court passed a three-page resolution outlining its requirements. The resolution states the court is in opposition to any future data center or related industry in the county that does not safeguard electric grid reliability, water and energy usage, agricultural land and public infrastructure. The county south of Houston also wants developers of such future projects to conduct independent impact assessments based on those criteria.
Ahead of the vote, lifelong Brazoria County resident Wesley Burnett told the court he and his family had been affected by a recently built data center.
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“The constant noise and vibration are still a daily nuisance,” Burnett said. “The disturbance is not occasional; it’s continuous. It’s 24 hours a day, 365 days a [year]. It creates not just a noise, but also a physical sensation that you can feel in your body.”
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In response to growing concerns about data centers and their impact on local communities and infrastructure, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter Wednesday to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas directing them to ensure that data centers carry the financial burden for their electric infrastructure and power costs. Abbott also directed the agencies to “identify necessary actions” to protect “Texans, their property, and resources.”
Additionally, Abbott’s letter included related legislative objectives to enforce these directives.
A day before the governor sent his letter, Brazoria County Judge L.M. “Matt” Sebesta Jr. voiced frustration with the state government and called on lawmakers to pass statewide regulations. Sebesta accused the state government of tying local officials’ hands, limiting what restrictions they can place on data centers locally.
“You can say something to us. We can send this resolution, [but] this resolution is not worth the paper it is printed on unless you take your a—- and not only talk to your state reps, your state senator and the governor, you need to go to Austin,” Sebesta said. “Austin is a couple hundred miles away. What happens in that pink dome, it’s brainless, spineless and gutless once they get amongst one another.”
Brazoria County’s resolution outlined specific legislative requests, including:
Reasonable setback requirements from residences, schools and hospitals
Light and sound mitigation based on independent impact assessments
Additional protections or limitations for development in flood-prone areas
Development fees or assessments to repair or improve public infrastructure
According to the resolution, a copy of it would be sent to state elected officials such as Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and others.
Sebesta urged Burnett and other residents who spoke in opposition to the data centers to make their voices heard in Austin.
“You may hear representatives say, ‘Oh, I’m going to file legislation that says they [data centers] can’t get tax abatements,'” he said. “S—, they don’t need tax abatements. We’re not going to give them tax abatements. They’re still gonna come. … And you need to wear their a— out because this is a big issue and it pisses me off that we don’t have any say in it.”
Burnett said he and his wife saved up for 17 years to build their home in Brazoria, and the effects of the nearby data center have been constant since October 2025.
“The impact on my family is serious,” he said. “My wife has never struggled with severe anxiety, chronic fatigue, or hypertension until the facility began operating. … We have an 11-month-old granddaughter that already shows signs of discomfort when she visits by tugging on her ears.”
The facility near Burnett’s home was developed by Houston-based Giga Energy, which said in a statement the site is owned by an investment group based in Fort Worth. Still, a spokesperson for Giga said the company commissioned a sound study and is working to install sound walls at the property.
“We plan to begin work on the sound walls in the next few weeks and have them completed this fall,” the spokesperson said. “… We care deeply about being a good neighbor in the communities where we build. The site is fully compliant with all local laws and regulations, and we have gone above and beyond by commissioning an additional sound study to share with county officials and the current owner/operator to help address community concerns. We are engineering and building additional sound walls to mitigate noise.”
The land where the Burnetts built their home has been in the family for 40 years, and Burnett said his family never expected such an industrial facility would be built so close.
“We’re deeply concerned about the potential long-term health effects this facility may have on our children, our grandchildren, as well as the overall well-being for our family and community,” he said. “We strongly believe that no operation should negatively impact the health or the well-being of nearby residents.”