Texas Rural GOP Officials Clash with Data Center Developers Over Local Control
By
Candice Bernd
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
Rural Republican county officials in Texas, like Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden, are frustrated by the AI-fueled data center boom that brings massive energy and water demands to their communities. Local officials have limited powers to constrain these developments, as developers often purchase land before county officials are even aware of the projects. The article highlights growing tensions within the GOP over local control versus economic development, as rural counties scramble for ways to slow or regulate data center construction.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledBy the time I hear about it, [developers have] already bought their land, so it's not like they're asking our permission to show up
Like so many other rural Republican county officials across the state, Haden is staring down several energy- and water-sucking data center projects that he and other county officials have very few powers to constrain.
Hoppy Haden, a stout 63-year-old who sports a cowboy hat and a white handlebar mustache, is hoppin' mad about the artificial intelligence-fueled data center boom in his backyard.
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