Texas lawmakers are set to take a closer look at how <a href="https://axiomcore.info/this-tiny-farming-town-youve-never-heard-of-is-helping-microsoft-sell-america-on-data-centers/" title="This tiny farming town you’ve never heard of is helping Microsoft sell America on data centers“>data centers could affect the water Texans use, and what they pay for it.
The Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee is meeting this morning at the Texas Capitol. Lawmakers will hear testimony on how much water high-consumption cooling technology uses, including data centers.
The committee will also examine whether local water providers need more transparency and how to keep industrial growth from making water less affordable for Texans and farmers.
Gov. Greg Abbott has previously placed restrictions on data centers, a move President Donald Trump has questioned. This week, Trump defended data centers in a post Monday, saying towns that do not want them could become “backwards and poor” and said communities wanting more jobs should “let data reign.”
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Vice President JD Vance said data centers should support the power grid rather than strain it.
“If you build a data center, you should be putting power back into the grid, not taking it out. And if that is happening, I don’t think the data centers are that controversial,” Vance said.
Vance said pushback comes when people fear higher utility bills. Texas lawmakers are expected to focus on the water side of that conversation during the hearing.
The hearing starts at 9 a.m. at the Texas Capitol. The public can sign up to speak for up to two minutes.
