The new Fort Worth City Hall on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
On Nov. 3, as voters head to the polls in the 2026 midterm elections, the Fort Worth City Council and Mayor Mattie Parker are set to receive a briefing on data centers from a new commission days before the city could hold its first public hearing on a potential data center moratorium.
The commission, proposed by City Council member Jeanette Martinez and led by Mike Slattery, director of TCU’s director for the Institute of Environmental Studies, will help the city adopt new standards for the development of data centers in Fort Worth.
The 11-member group — titled the “Fort Worth Data Center & Infrastructure Commission,” according to a press release from the city — will be made up of academics, data center and real estate experts, residents who have been vocal about data centers, and members of prominent Fort Worth organizations. QTS, a data center developer with several locations in the Metroplex, is set to be a member.
Slattery, the professor, said he’s keenly aware of the attention that will be on the committee as data centers continue to be a top political issue for voters. Slattery has also conducted research on renewable energy and rhinoceros conservation.
“This is very new territory for us,” Slattery said. “This is going to be very public. It’s laced with politics. There’s lots of misinformation and rhetoric out there, as it pertains to data centers. But it’s an incredibly important task that we face.”
The commission, which starts its work on Friday, Sept. 4, will deliver a report to the city detailing research on power, water usage, land use, neighborhood impacts, and economic development.
It’s a tall order to be sure, Slattery said — but he does not want to approach the issue politically.
“I am not going in there with you know any political beef, I’m not going into this commission wearing red or blue or anything remotely close to that,” Slattery said. “I understand that there are very strong feelings around data centers and what that means. My job is to navigate all of these issues from a fact-based evidence perspective.”
Slattery was tapped by Parker in early August, he said, to lead the commission.
The idea of an advisory commission on data centers is not brand-new — states including Maine and Oregon have adopted statewide advisory councils, and smaller cities have tried them as well — but it’s still fresh territory on top of rapidly evolving technology, Slattery said.
“This is still, in many ways, I think, an early stage nascent technology,” Slattery said. “So I think to try and do something now and do it right is important.”
Here’s who will be a voting member of the commission, according to a press release from the city:
David Berzina, vice president, JLLThe Rev. Vernon Elisher, president, Youth & Family Community Outreach Inc.Krista Erbe, community organizer, 2871 Community CoalitionNick Fang, Robert S. Gooch Endowed professor in civil engineering and head of the Water Engineering Research Center (WERC), University of Texas at ArlingtonAndrew Franko, principal, Freese and NicholsRusty Fuller, president, North Fort Worth AllianceTobi Jackson, chief executive officer, Fort Worth SPARCRyan Kuithe, senior vice president of facility operations, QTS Data CentersJohn MacFarlane, executive committee member — conservation, Greater Fort Worth Sierra ClubStathis Michaeledes, W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. founding chair of engineering at TCUAmbika Sharma, community organizer
In addition to the voting members, the press release says, the commission will also receive support from 10 academics hailing from North Texas universities as well as Cornell University.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Emily Holshouser is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.