Texas data centers largely ignore state survey on water usage, frustrating lawmakers
By
Alejandra Martinez
Summary
Texas state officials sent a survey to data center companies to determine their water and energy usage, but less than a third of companies responded. At a legislative hearing, state Rep. Brad Buck criticized the low response rate, calling it 'bad data, bad study.' The issue is significant as data centers consume large amounts of water for cooling their servers, and Texas is facing growing concerns about water scarcity and energy grid strain amid rapid data center expansion.
Source
bskyTexas data centers largely ignore state survey on water usage, frustrating lawmakersfeeds.texastribune.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledBad data, bad study.
A member of the public wears a 'Don't data center my Texas' pin on the back of their hat while waiting for the Natural Resource Committee to convene on June 23, 2026.
Data centers need a lot of water and energy. State officials want to know how much, and they hoped a survey sent to data center companies would give them the answers.
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