Talarico slams Paxton on data centers, defends filing 2021 bill to require large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico blasted Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton on data centers in a wide-ranging interview with CBS News Texas. 

“Ken Paxton has taken nearly half a million linked to the data center industry, and it’s why he ignored residents in Hood County when they asked for his help as Attorney General to pause data center construction in their community. He just ghosted them,” said Talarico. “That’s because he’s bought and paid for by the data center industry. I don’t take money from data centers. I don’t take money from the data center industry.”

Paxton did not make himself available to reporters while campaigning in Willow Park, near Weatherford in Parker County, last week. But a campaign spokeswoman, Madison Cercy, said in a statement to CBS News Texas, “James Talarico is a hypocrite and a liar. He claims that anyone taking money from data center interests is corrupt. Well, then he must be the most corrupt politician in America, because his campaign infrastructure has taken $12 million from donors with data center ties.”

NOTUS first reported that Paxton received nearly $450,000 in campaign contributions from the data center industry. The Texas Tribune reported that billionaire Reid Hoffman donated $11.5 million this year to the Lone Star Rising PAC, a super PAC that’s backing Talarico. Hoffman has supported data center construction on social media. 

When asked about what Paxton has said, Talarico responded, “I’ve never taken a donation from Reid Hoffman. I have no control over what any super PAC does, whether they are for me or against me or neutral.” 

When asked if the donation to the super PAC by Hoffman still helps him, Talarico said, “There’s a lot of super PAC’s out there that are claiming to support me or claiming to support the Attorney General. All I legally have control over is what I do in my campaign.”

Talarico has said he wants to rein in data centers. “Making sure these data centers are paying for their own energy and not jacking up utility bills across the state. Recycling their water so they’re not exacerbating the water crisis in Texas and making sure that communities get a say on whether or not these projects are started in their community because often times, these are showing up without any of the community’s input.”

Paxton has said he supports similar guardrails and guidelines established by Governor Greg Abbott, who has paused new data center approvals in the state. 

During the interview, Talarico said he favors an all-of-the-above U.S. energy policy. In 2021, he filed a bill in the legislature, titled the Texas Climate Action Act, aimed at combatting climate change by requiring large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation, HB 2206, would have called for by 2030, limiting statewide emissions to 50 percent below what the level was in 1990 and by 2050, limiting statewide emissions to 90 percent below what it was in 1990.

When asked why this was an important bill for him to file and whether it could have hurt the state’s all-important oil and gas industry, Talarico said, “I support our oil and gas industry. I had family members who worked in the industry. I went to public schools here in Texas, funded by the oil and gas industry. What I’m opposing is greenhouse emissions. There are ways that we can support our oil and gas industry while limiting those emissions,” said Talarico. “In fact, ExxonMobil has been a leader in carbon capture, ensuring that our oil and gas industry can continue to grow while capturing these harmful emissions so we can both grow our Texas energy industry and protect our planet.”    

In his 2021 bill, Talarico said there would be a transition to the green economy and that he wanted to replace lost jobs. When asked if that suggested his bill would impact the oil and gas industry, Talarico said, “This is why I was trying to work with Republicans and Democrats alike in the legislature to make this bill a reality. But the bill wasn’t even given a hearing. As you know covering the legislature, bills, when they first are introduced, are a rough draft. It’s meant to go through a process with stakeholders and with members of both political parties. But folks in the state capitol didn’t want to have this conversation. So, the bill died before it even got to committee. That’s a real shame because I think there are ways to both grow our oil and gas industry and limit these emissions at the same time.”

If elected, he vowed to fight any attempts in Washington, DC to pass bills or rules that would negatively impact the energy industry in Texas. “I’m against any leaders in Washington who are messing with our energy industry, whether it’s oil and gas or whether it’s renewables.” 

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