A group of Texans believe they’ve discovered evidence that the state’s environmental regulatory agency has continued to issue permits to data centers despite Governor Greg Abbott’s call for it to stop.
asserted
it → believe → call
The nonprofits Public Citizen and FracTracker Alliance, working with local activists in Texas, looked through the public database of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and discovered that the organization has worked on multiple permits for data center projects since Abbott called for a pause in the process on September 21.
asserted
Abbott → work → September
Abbott’s office denied approving any new permits in a statement to 404 Media.
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office → deny → Media
According to Public Citizen and the FracTracker Alliance, which cite documents publicly available on the TCEQ’s website, the agency has reviewed documents and assigned engineers related to more than a dozen permits related to data center projects in the state.
uncertain
agency → accord → state
Public Citizen listed more than 15 and the Fractracker Alliance found 35.
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Alliance → list → 35
The same day the nonprofits announced their findings, The Texas Tribune published a report that Abbott had received $9 million in donations from developers and owners of data centers.
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Abbott → announce → centers
According to the documents reviewed by 404 Media, TCEQ issued air-emission limit certificates to a large data center in Houston; approved the construction of stormwater coverage for data centers in Abilene, Barstow, and Royse City; and fast tracked gas power plants for more than a dozen data center projects.
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TCEQ → accord → projects
“The TCEQ’s own data indicates that it’s business as usual for data centers and affected communities were promised a freeze.
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communities → indicate → freeze
And instead what they’re getting is another reason to distrust the TCEQ and ultimately ineffective attempts to govern by press release,” Kathryn Guerra of Public Citizen said during a press conference on Monday about the findings.
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Guerra → get → findings
“Absent any comprehensive guardrails imposed by the Texas legislature, the industry will continue to move forward as fast as it can, and the TCEQ may let it.
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TCEQ → impose → it
"They're still putting in that power plant, and there ain't nothing me and my people can do about it.
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me → put → it
We're just going to have to keep that boot on our neck.
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We → go → neck
It ain’t right.
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It → ai → ?
Texas is poised to be the data center capital of the world.
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Texas → poise → world
Three hundred already operate in the state, 100 are under construction, and 200 more are being planned.
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200 → operate → construction
The projects include Big Tech companies like Meta — which is constructing a $14 billion data center in El Paso — smaller scale local projects like one in Taylor that would be built on land meant for a public park, and massive startups like the nuclear-powered Fermi data center in Amarillo.
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that → include → Amarillo
In general, people hate data centers and it’s become a major political issue for voters in Texas.
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it → hate → Texas
On September 21, Abbott directed the TCEQ to “halt all permits sought by data centers.”
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Abbott → direct → centers
Abbott said he’d told the state’s water and electric utility agencies to audit all the projects and directed “the TCEQ to pause the issuance of all permits related to data center projects until [the Electric Reliability Council of Texas] completes its review.”
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Council → say → review
Abbott’s order is broad and data centers are large and complicated construction projects with a lot of moving parts that require dozens of permits and plans.
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that → move → permits
It’s possible that some of the permits uncovered by the nonprofits were filed before Abbott’s September 21 pause.
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some → ’ → pause
Many, however, were clearly issued afterward.
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Many → issue → ?
Twelve of the 14 applications for gas plants and generators were filed in October.
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applications → file → October
TCEQ used an expedited review process for eight of them.
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TCEQ → use → them
One was an air permit for engines and turbines that would power a data center in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.
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that → power → Irving
The builder submitted the permit for expedited review on October 6 and a TCEQ engineer completed the initial review two days later, according to publicly available documents reviewed by 404 Media.
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engineer → submit → Media
“No permits have been approved,” Governor Abbot’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told 404 Media.
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secretary → approve → Media
“In line with the Governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits.
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TCEQ → take → permits
Likewise, no other state agency will approve data center-related permits until the Public Utility Commission, ERCOT, and the Water Development Board have the information they need to make informed decisions.
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they → approve → decisions
Texans must come first.”
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Texans → come → ?
404 Media asked Abbott’s office why there are multiple data center related stormwater construction projects listed as “approved” and was told to talk to TCEQ, which did not respond.
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which → ask → TCEQ
Sam Law, a researcher and manager of communications at FracTracker Alliance, told 404 Media that TCEQ gave him “a more exacting interpretation of their own situation,” he said.
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he → tell → situation
“Which is that they are accepting applications, but not moving forward with reviewing them.
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they → accept → them
That was shown to not be true.”
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That → show → ?
Law also noted that the stormwater construction permits that read as “approved” in the TCEQ system are the result of a regulatory loophole.
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that → note → loophole
“The state has just approved a generic construction stormwater permit, and then to get onto that permit, people file a notice of intent and then they add them to a pre-existing permit,” Law said.
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Law → approve → permit
The stormwater construction permit is required to raise and level ground.
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permit → require → ground
“It’s often the final approval needed to move forward to prepare the site to actually build the physical structure," he added.
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he → ’ → structure
In areas where there’s no zoning restrictions or the city is unincorporated, then that permit is all a company needs to start building.
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company → ’ → areas
“The Caldwell Technology Park [...] the Stargate facility, and a bunch of other very large hyperscale facilities have gotten regulatory approvals in the form of this notice of intent, so it's not like a real pause,” he said.
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he → get → pause
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
