Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for data centers to be banned from rural areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods. [Data centers] dovetail right into fighting for East Texas values\u201d said Abbott at a campaign event in East Texas on Tuesday, June 30.<\/p>\n
The governor of the US\u2019 second-largest data center market also said that data centers needed to pay and use their fair share of resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve made it clear already: any AI data center thinking about coming here, they have to bring their own money, bring their own power, use their own water, and do it in a way that reduces the cost of electricity for residents across our state. We must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods. We must eliminate the tax break they are getting,\u201d said Abbott.<\/p>\n
Abbott has historically supported data center development in the state, but the increasing unpopularity of data centers across the country has changed the political calculus, especially for figures looking to be re-elected, such as Abbott.<\/p>\n
Abbott, a Republican, will be contesting the governorship against the Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa on November 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
Earlier in June, the governor sent a letter to state energy regulators saying that they must look for ways to lower energy bills for residents when data centers connect to the grid, adding that they must submit a memorandum to the government detailing the steps they have taken.<\/p>\n