August 27th, 2026

Lubbock’s city council voted unanimously this week to accept a petition from citizens calling for an 18-month pause on large-scale data centers in the city. This vote does not enact the moratorium; the council will hold a public hearing on the petition on September 8. If the council rejects the petition at the hearing, organizers can choose to put it on the ballot in a general election. The city secretary pointed out that because the deadline for November’s general election has passed, it would not be up for a vote until May of next year.