Abbott says his data center pause in Texas is working, as Democrats urge him to call a special session on the issue
Data centers have become a flashpoint in the November election in Texas and across the country. Rural and suburban voters have pushed back over data center projects in the Lone Star State.
Even though the state legislature is not in session, lawmakers held a hearing last week on the controversial facilities at the Capitol, where Texans expressed their concerns.
Gov. Greg Abbott has paused construction on data centers until state regulators can conduct a comprehensive audit on each proposed project, which will take months to complete. The governor previously developed what he calls guardrails and guidelines on how new data centers operate in the state.
During a news conference in Fort Worth last Thursday about his plan to provide additional property tax relief, CBS News Texas asked the Governor about his data center plan.
He said, "I've actually done more than any governor in the United States of America, providing a detailed, comprehensive structure for data centers in our state."
The Governor previously developed what he calls guardrails and guidelines on how new data centers operate. "They can't take water that's needed for local communities, and they can't take power that's needed for the electric grid. They must operate in a way that lowers the cost of electricity, and they must not disturb local neighborhoods or local residents in rural parts of the state of Texas."
When asked why he wouldn't call a special session on this issue as Democrats, including his opponent, State Representative Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, have urged, Abbott said, "The PUC (Public Utility Commission of Texas) had requested data and information from all power grid operators that wanted to add onto the power grid about how much power they would be using, how much water they would be using, and they got less than 10 percent response. That would be like giving you a 100-piece puzzle and, say, fix this puzzle using only nine pieces. It's impossible to do so right now. It's impossible for ERCOT or the PUC to know exactly what information they need to put the pieces of the puzzle together. That same information is needed by legislators before decisions can be made about the pathway forward."
Abbott went on to say his pause has been effective. "What I have done is working. The guidelines and guardrails I've established are now universally adopted across the state of Texas. What that means is there are, for one, no new data centers coming on board. For another, every data center operating in the state of Texas is fully following the guidelines and guardrails."
In response, Hinojosa criticized the governor's position. During a campaign stop in Dallas on Friday, Hinojosa told CBS News Texas that residents are angry about data centers because there aren't any regulations approved by lawmakers.
"They have all descended into our communities, into our neighborhoods, and there are no rules," said Hinojosa. "People are being taken advantage of, concerned about basics like water, like the price of electricity, like health and safety, and so, this is an issue that has become big in 2026, and one where the governor is to blame. I've been calling on the governor to call a special session to pass laws so that we can come in and pass laws as legislators to protect Texans. Right now, there are...not those protections."
The data center issue will likely become one of the most pressing issues during the next legislative session beginning in January.
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