LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock community group held a protest Saturday evening at Clapp Park as part of a national day of action against data centers, gathering signatures for a petition seeking an 18-month moratorium on data center development in the city.
The “Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers” organized the event, which included free food and community outreach. The group said it was protesting in what it called “the Lubbock way.” The event comes as the Lubbock City Council has said it wants to explore the possibility of bringing a data center to the city.
State officials call for special session
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller attended the protest and is leading an effort to regulate data center expansion across the state. Miller said data centers could threaten agricultural land, water supply, and the power grid. He is calling for a special 30-day legislative session to address the issue, citing a lack of existing regulations.
“We could deal with them, have the legislation up in the books in six weeks, and we could all get around this,” Miller said. “But so far, I haven’t heard back from the governor. Of course, I never hear back from him. Never got a meeting with him in twelve years, so I’m not surprised that he doesn’t answer back. So that’s why we’re here. We’re trying to raise awareness and highlight the issue… that we’re not saying that we’re all against data centers, but we need to know that they’re not gonna drive up our electric rates and use all our water and take away our good farmland.”
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor who represents an Austin district, also attended the protest. She said the impact of data centers on state resources remains unclear and called for a special session as well.
“Also, we have this huge incentive program for data centers, and I want to make sure people understand what the situation is in Texas,” Goodwin said. “We’ve given a billion dollars worth of incentives to data centers in 2025, and that could grow to over three, three point five billion dollars in the coming years. I actually did ask the governor to hold a special session so that the legislature can weigh in on these issues, have a debate about, again, the costs of the electricity and the water. And make sure that people are being heard throughout the state, including Lubbock.”
City’s current position
Mayor Mark McBrayer said no data center developers are currently courting the city. City staff have outlined possible regulatory measures, including sound studies, additional easements, and special permits within city limits. McBrayer said that if any data centers express interest in coming to Lubbock, those conversations would go through the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance — not the city government.
Petition details
The “Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers” needs 2,410 in-person signatures on a paper petition within 10 days. The deadline is July 28th. To sign, residents must live within Lubbock city limits and be a registered voter. Signers will also need their voter unique ID number. An interest form is available on the group’s Facebook page, and a committee member will coordinate a time to sign.
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