Data Centers

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation yesterday into nearly 30 school districts, including Lubbock ISD, regarding Texas’ Senate Bills 10 and 11. Lubbock ISD released a statement saying it is in compliance with both state laws. A recent report from the University of Texas at Austin revealed that data centers could potentially account for 3-9 percent of the Texas' water use by 2040. KEDT's Rob Boscamp reports they currently represent less than 1%.

Election Day for Lubbock County’s municipal and school elections took place May 2. The City of Lubbock had four positions on the ballot and three of those representatives remain unchanged, including Lubbock’s mayor.

West Texas has become a popular site for data center projects, but residents and city governments alike have questions they want answered before these proposals get approved. According to Lubbock's city manager, the development of one of these facilities in Lubbock will require collaboration and transparency.

Gas prices in Texas have been rising since the beginning of the war in Iran. The Texas Newsrooms Blaise Gainey reports outgoing Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is asking the governor to suspend the state’s gasoline sales tax. Data centers have been using large amounts of resources in the last year, but the state requires little public disclosure of how much water or electricity these facilities actually use. Researchers are asking Texas lawmakers to change that.

The boom in data centers, many to support artificial intelligence, could strain the Texas power grid and increase energy costs.

West Texans will soon be seeing another data center after “Project Caprock” broke ground in Hale County yesterday. The boom in A.I. data centers in Texas could raise energy costs and strain the state power grid. KUT's Mose Buchele reports that to understand the risks, grid managers at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas need to understand how many centers are really coming. The City of Levelland in Hockley County is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary this weekend. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 11, but with the chance of severe weather, the decision was made to push the event to Sunday, April 12.

The Republican speaker’s interim charges also covered water resources, foreign threats and government accountability.

Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.

As artificial intelligence pushes demand for more data centers, companies are drawn to the state’s relatively inexpensive land and natural gas that can run on-site power plants.

With AI's rising popularity, Texas has seen tech companies invest millions into data centers. But experts warn the state is not capable of regulating the AI wave.