Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Friday, June 12, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday called for a prohibition on data center construction in rural neighborhoods amid growing backlash to the energy and water-intensive facilities, especially in heavily Republican communities.
The governor, who previously touted Texas as “the epicenter of AI development,” made the statement at a campaign event in a small town East Texas, which has seen a surge in data center development.
READ MORE: Data center backlash tests Republicans’ hold on rural Texas ahead of midterms
Article continues below this ad
“We must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods,” Abbott said during the event in Bullard.
It is the latest sign that the GOP sees the growing opposition to data centers as a potential liability heading into November’s high-stakes midterms. Recent polling by the University of Texas at Austin found most Texans do not want data centers built in their communities, with opposition especially high, at 62%, among rural Texans whom Republicans have long counted as ardent supporters.
At the campaign speech, Abbott also reiterated restrictions he called for in a June 10 letter to state regulators, including that new centers need to “bring their own power, reuse their own water, and do it in a way that reduces the cost of electricity for residents across our state.” And he again called for lawmakers to strip tax breaks from the facilities.
A campaign spokesman for the governor said the position is no different from what he’s already called for. In the letter, Abbott didn’t say anything about prohibiting construction, but called for lawmakers to establish “best practices such as setbacks, noise-reduction technology, and other measures that take into account the concerns of neighbors.”
Article continues below this ad
“As the Governor said in the letter, he will work with lawmakers to ensure local communities are not adversely impacted,” Abbott spokesman Eduardo Leal said.
TEXAS DATA CENTER TRACKER: See where data centers are planned or operating near you
The governor’s campaign event was billed as a “taxpayer empowerment event.” But the rapid growth of the centers — Texas is on track to become the world’s largest data center hub in two years — and the backlash to them has threatened to overtake other issues, including property tax relief that is central to Abbott’s reelection campaign.
At a recent hearing on data centers, state Rep. Trent Ashby, a Republican from Lufkin who is running for the state Senate, said property tax relief was the No. 1 issue before the March 3 primaries.
“Since then, all I’ve heard about is data center relief,” Ashby said.
Article continues below this ad
Data center construction has been a major point of contention, as some rural counties have sought to pause development and faced pushback from some state officials. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called for a statewide moratorium earlier this year, and at this month’s GOP convention, the governor drew loud applause as he vowed to push lawmakers to act next session.
Earlier this month, Abbott ordered state regulators to ensure new data centers do not pass on costs for new electrical infrastructure to ratepayers, and urged lawmakers to repeal their lucrative sales tax exemptions.
In November, Abbott appeared alongside Google’s CEO to tout the company’s plans to invest $40 billion in artificial intelligence data centers in rural counties. The governor called it “a Texas-sized investment in the future of our great state.”
Clarification: This story was updated with comments from Abbott’s campaign. Megan Kimble contributed to this article.
Article continues below this ad