Data Centers, Wind Turbines and Land Use
To the Editor:
There may be an AI (artificial intelligence) data center facility coming soon to a cow pasture near you. Texas has about 411 AI data centers with more planned. ( www.datacentermap. com/usa/texas) Only Virginia has more. In addition to covering large areas of ground, most AI data centers use huge amounts of water and electricity to cool and power computers that perform more complex computing tasks than traditional data centers used for general computing and to store and manage data.Alot is unresolved about the effects ofAI data centers. Fayette County Recognizing this, on February 26th, the Fayette County Commissioners adopted a resolution in support of county residents opposing a proposed AI data center project. (FCR 3-5-2026) In August of 2024, the Commissioners adopted a similar resolution regarding a proposed wind turbine project.
These kinds of industrial scale operations have to be built somewhere but the question is “Where?” The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute estimates that in the last five years, Texas has lost nearly 1.8 million acres of agricultural land. For comparison, Fayette County is about 614,272 acres.
Undeveloped land in metropolitan and suburban areas sells by the square foot, not acre. Big technology and energy companies are going to buy land where it is cheaper and there is more of it.
Other Counties
DFW Channel 11 aired an investigative news report last week on large AI data centers planned in Hood County (Granbury) and Somervell County (Glen Rose): “Each of the more than 30 buildings on the project [Comanche Circle in Hood Couty] would be roughly the size of two-and-a-half Super Walmarts. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2026. This massive data center (2,100 acres) would be built on land that’s been rural for generations.” By a 3-2 vote in February, Hood County Commissioners rejected a moratorium (ban) on data centers. The county attorney told them that such a moratorium is not allowed by state law but has requested a formal opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Tract Caldwell Park, a data center technology park in Caldwell County (Lockhart), finished buying land in 2025 for a 1,515-acre site and has an agreement with Bluebonnet Electric Co-operative to supply electricity starting in 2028. (Blackridge Research & Consulting / blackridgeresearch. com). Bluebonnet (in Giddings) serves parts of Fayette County.
In February, the Commissioners Court in Wise County (Decatur) unanimously adopted a resolution specifically opposing the “use of high-volume potable water consumption technologies” by data centers and stating the State of Texas should implement “comprehensive, enforceable safeguards” to:
• protect electric grid reliability and prevent cost burdens on residential, agricultural, and small business ratepayers;
• ensure responsible, sustainable, and transparent water use practices;
• protect agricultural lands, range lands, wildlife habitats, and natural draining systems; and,
• prevent location of such facilities on prime farmland and ecologically sensitive areas.
The Houston Chronicle reported on March 11 that the Brazoria County Commissioners voted on March 10 to “deny tax abatements for a California energy company planning to build two power plants and two AI data centers on 154 acres just outside the Sweeny city limits” but “that county officials acknowledged their decision would likely have little tangible effect on what would ultimately be a $3 billion project.” Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta is quoted as saying during the Commissioners Court meeting that: “We do not have the tools. We can only do what the legislature allows us to do. They do not give us the power to stop this project.” There are now a lot of news stories in Texas like this.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is responsible for enforcing environmental regulations for air emissions, wastewater discharge, hazardous material storage and water use. (Houston Public Media 1-13-26) for data centers. The Dallas Business Journal (2-1-26) reported that TCEQ has a backlog of 1,400 data center cases that could take 30 years to resolve at its current pace.
The Direct Impact
Land values in Fayette County and many other rural counties have had incredible increases in the last 25 years. Most people probably don’t want a data center, wind turbines, solar panel farm or a gravel pit “across the fence” from where they live. Maybe their land has been in the family for generations or maybe they bought it in recent years and paid a lot per acre. Either way, they probably don’t want it spoiled by big commercial projects built almost right up to their property line. Does a new gravel pit next to your property enhance its value? Is the Appraisal District going to adjust the taxable value of your property if a neighbor leases land for a solar farm or sells it for data center use. What is the impact on groundwater and drainage for landowners when an adjacent 150-acre tract is mostly covered by buildings and concrete? Where will the water and electricity come from for these facilities?
Texas Law
Section 396.041 of the Texas Transportation Code lets counties regulate the locations of automobile salvage yards. Why can’t counties regulate the location of data centers, cell towers, hotel/convention centers, etc.? In 2023, the Legislature passed the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act which prohibits Texas cities and counties from adopting ordinances regulating commercial activities over which the State has authority. The State regulates almost everything in some way. In 2023, the Texas Attorney General determined that Texas law did not allow counties to adopt and enforce a moratorium on commercial solar projects. The AG would likely reach the same decision regarding other similar types of activities.
Some people might say Texas law gives me the right to sell my land to anybody I want to. But does that entitle the buyer to use it in a way that reduces the value or the use of your neighbor’s property?
The Texas Legislature
State legislators representing urban areas probably are not too concerned about what’s happening in rural areas since these things don’t have much impact on their constituents. Only 16% of Texans live in rural areas. Legislators representing rural areas are in the minority and have less power. Rural legislators need to stand up to urban legislators who get campaign contributions from big companies pushing these projects. The Texas Legislature appears to be behind in dealing with this issue. The next session of the Texas Legislature is in January 2027. We’ll see what happens.
What to do?
Contact State Senator Lois Kolkhorst ((979) 251-7888 / www.senate.texas.gov/members. php) and Dennis Geesaman (GOPcandidate for District 85 State Representative; (361) 772-5335 Facebook campaign site / www.goose4texrep.com) and tell them to get laws passed to protect agricultural land and rural residents from large-scale technology and energy projects. They are supposed to represent the people who elect them, not big businesses. Big money always gets heard at the State Capitol.
The Legislature needs to pass laws that: (1) control nonagricultural use of farmland, (2) ensure state agencies have strong and comprehensive regulatory powers over industrial facilities in rural areas to limit air and water pollutants and noise and outdoor lighting levels and determine setback and spacing requirements and building height limits, (3) protect stream flows, natural habitat and groundwater and energy supplies for rural areas and (4) give rural counties appropriate authority to do land use planning control and to adopt reasonable, uniform and enforceable regulations for that purpose.
State legislators either need to enact laws that will protect farmland from industrialization or allow counties to exercise appropriate “local control” over land use. Rural residents and local officials don’t need state bureaucrats and politicians telling them what they are allowed or not allowed to do to protect their land and natural resources. Thomas Jefferson said: “The government closest to the people serves the people best.”
This problem is not going to go away or get better by itself. If it’s not a data center, it will be something else. We all have a stake in this. Don’t assume other people are going to deal with the problem and fix it. Bottom line, God gave us the land and water to use. We need to be good stewards.