Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday sought to explain why he instituted regulations on data centers after expressing broad support for them over the last year.
In an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” the Republican touted the “guidelines and guardrails” his administration imposed in the face of how rapidly data centers have spread throughout the nation.
“They pop up in places that nobody ever heard of before, until they started the construction,” Abbott said of the centers. “And so, they had not been working in collaboration with the state, they’d not been in collaboration with local governments, and so they basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.”
But Abbott’s criticism is a sharp pivot from his support for data centers less than a year ago. Last November, Abbott had declared his state was the “epicenter of AI development” as he announced a $40 billion investment by Google. The state had originally offered incentives to companies looking to establish data centers in its communities, including sales tax exemptions for qualifying centers.
According to the Texas Tribune, the state now has 335 data centers, with “at least 248 more in the works.”
This month, Abbott instituted a moratorium on construction of new data centers over concerns of power grid strains and water usage. His administration’s guidelines also require companies to identify their water usage, refrain from taking power from the Texas power grid and lowering the cost of electricity for consumers.
Still, co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday pointed out that despite Abbott’s latest actions, reports show that one massive power plant for a Meta data center was approved in 20 days while another was approved in three days — and another in only two.
“Was that a mistake?” Karl asked Abbott.
The governor declined to call any a mistake.
“To actually begin the data center, they don’t need to get approval from the State of Texas, which is the way the law currently works,” said Abbott. “One thing that they would need to do, eventually, is to get the approval to plug into the power grid.”
The debate over data centers — which has become a national battle often along party lines between Democrats and Republicans — is happening against the backdrop of November’s approaching midterms. Abbott on Sunday appeared confident in both the Senate race unfolding between GOP nominee Ken Paxton and Democratic candidate James Talarico and his own bid for an unprecedented fourth term in a tight race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
“What matters in elections is not in August, what matters in elections is November,” he said. “And I know what’s gonna happen in November, and that is there’s a choice at the ballot box. And when those voters go in, they’re going to choose between common sense that’s offered by Republicans versus the crazy that’s offered by the Democrats.”
When asked if he would consider running for a fifth term, Abbott replied, “As Trump says, I may run for a fifth term, or sixth term, seventh term, who knows.”
