Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa announced Thursday that she will introduce new rules regulating data centers in the state. The Democrat, who defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Tuesday’s election, wants to halt the development of new projects until proper safeguards for residents are in place. In an interview with CNN, she stressed that the rapid expansion of technology infrastructure is having a growing impact on rural communities.
“Data centers have moved mainly into rural communities, and there are no rules and regulations protecting Texans,” Hinojosa said.
The governor-elect said her administration will prepare regulations on how such facilities operate and how they affect their local surroundings.
“We have to stop what we are doing with data centers until we have those safeguards,” she added. In her view, residents should be able to take part in decisions about where projects are located and how they operate in their communities.
Texas has become one of the world’s most important hubs for data center development, thanks to abundant energy, relatively cheap land and business-friendly policies. The administration of President Donald Trump also supports the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure, treating it as one of the country’s economic and technological priorities.
The sector’s growth has drawn opposition from some residents, who point to rising electricity and water consumption, possible environmental damage and restrictions on access to public land.
Even before the election, Abbott halted the connection of new data centers to the state power grid and ordered a comprehensive audit of projects.
Editor: JŁ
