<\/p>\n
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Friday, June 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Melissa Phillip\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
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<\/a>, especially in heavily Republican communities.<\/p>\n The governor, who previously\u00a0touted Texas as \u201cthe epicenter of AI development,\u201d<\/a> made the statement at a campaign event in a small town East Texas, which has seen a surge in data center development.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Data center backlash tests Republicans\u2019 hold on rural Texas ahead of midterms<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods,\u201d Abbott said during the event in Bullard.<\/p>\n It is the latest sign that the GOP sees the growing opposition to data centers as a potential liability heading into November\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cbring their own power, reuse their own water, and do it in a way that reduces the cost of electricity for residents across our state.\u201d And he again called for lawmakers to strip tax breaks from the facilities.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAs the Governor said in the letter, he will work with lawmakers to ensure local communities are not adversely impacted,\u201d Abbott spokesman Eduardo Leal said.<\/p>\n TEXAS DATA CENTER TRACKER: See where data centers are planned or operating near you<\/a><\/p>\n The governor\u2019s campaign event was billed as a \u201ctaxpayer empowerment event.\u201d But the rapid growth of the centers \u2014 Texas is on track to become the world\u2019s largest data center hub in two years \u2014 and the backlash to them has threatened to overtake other issues, including property tax relief that is central to Abbott\u2019s reelection campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSince then, all I\u2019ve heard about is data center relief,\u201d Ashby said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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\u00a0called for a statewide moratorium<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Abbott ordered state regulators to ensure new data centers<\/a> do not pass on costs for new electrical infrastructure to ratepayers, and urged lawmakers to repeal their lucrative sales tax exemptions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In November, Abbott appeared alongside Google\u2019s CEO<\/a> to tout the company\u2019s plans to invest $40 billion in artificial intelligence data centers<\/a> in rural counties. The governor called it \u201ca Texas-sized investment in the future of our great state.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarification: This story was updated with comments from Abbott’s campaign. Megan Kimble contributed to this article.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at the Texas GOP convention in the George R. 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