Data centers have become one of the top issues in state politics this year. 

Texas now ranks second globally for data center development, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, with the Dallas area and West Texas attracting the most projects.

In response to the surge in development, local governments across the state are considering bans — Fort Worth started the process on Tuesday of enacting a 90-day moratorium on the construction of data centers within the city — the Texas Legislature is mulling new restrictions, and statewide candidates are finding a new wedge issue.

The governor’s race is no exception. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin), this year’s Democratic nominee in the race, accused incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, her political opponent, of “start[ing] the data center madness in Texas” and challenged him to call a special session to address the issue. 

Abbott has now put the industry under the microscope after many years of promoting Texas’ pro-business environment, calling for safeguards to protect local water supplies, limit grid strain, and steer development away from rural neighborhoods.

In June, Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to require data centers to pay for their own electric infrastructure costs, scuttling at least one project planned for East Texas.

Then, earlier this month, Abbott asked these agencies to audit all data center projects in the process of connecting to the Texas grid. According to his directive, data centers in the pipeline must provide and verify information about their water usage; their noise, light, and traffic mitigation efforts; how they plan to obtain electricity; whether they receive taxpayer money; and the real identities of their owners.

Read the full piece at The Texan