‘We need it now:’ Protesters urge special legislative session on TX data centers

Attendees of a Monday protest want Texas to Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address the effects of data centers on the state.

About 40 people — including visitors from the Paluxy Valley and a slate of speakers — rallied outside the Capitol on Monday, asking for the special session as data centers pop up across Texas. In North Texas and across the state, people have sounded the alarm over existing and planned sites, raising concerns over noise, water use and possible environmental impacts.

Attendees stood outside in front of the Austin building, holding signs in opposition of data centers. One read “you can’t drink data.” Another advocated for the protection of farmland. “Say no to data centers,” declared a sign, accompanied by a drawing of a microphone.

Only Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can call the Legislature into special session. The next regularly scheduled legislative session starts on Jan. 12.

“Our star filled skies will be gone,” said Brian Crawford, a retired Lockheed Martin employee who shares a fence line with a planned the Comanche Circle data center project. “Our quiet nights of only hearing wildlife will be gone. Our two lane farm-to-market roads will be incredibly dangerous.”

Crawford, whose property is in Somerville County, was representing Protect the Paluxy Valley Inc. as a speaker at the event. He said Abbott should take a “sober look” at the impact data centers and power plants on the state.

The governor should convene a special session where lawmakers could issue an immediate “statewide moratorium or rural industrialization” so that the effects of such projects can be analyzed, Crawford said. Legislators should also consider letting counties regulate industrial development to protect citizens, he said.

“My message is that we need a special session, and we need it now,” said Joanne Carcamo, a co-founder of the Paluxy Valley group who attended the protest. “We cannot wait. This is an invasion of rural Texas. This is an invasion in Hood County.”

Hood County commissioners recently rejected a proposal to put a six-month moratorium on industrial development, which would have given officials time to study the impact of data centers. Residents have raised concerns about the centers encroaching on their rural lifestyles.

Ahead of the vote, Hood county commissioners received a letter from Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, that said the moratorium would have violated state law. The letter was also addressed to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The proposal is expected to be reconsidered on Tuesday, following the approval of a moratorium on “green energy” projects in northeast Texas’ Van Zandt County.

There are multiple planned projects in the Hood County area. Among them is a 2,600-acre data center complex called Comanche Circle that has gotten pushback from ranchers, landowners and conservationists near Glen Rose.

A $10 billion data center is also planned in southeast Fort Worth, though it hit a speed bump earlier this month when zoning requests for the project were put on pause as the city awaits a report on data centers from city staff.

Senate District 22 Republican candidate Rena Schroeder was among the speakers at the Monday protest. A campaign staff member helped organize the event in her capacity as an individual. The Senate district includes part of Tarrant County. Speakers from Round Rock and Waco area groups also addressed attendees.

“Our way of life in Texas is being torn apart by these data centers,” said Gary Oldham with Protect Round Rock. “Whether we’re in the suburbs, a small farm, a large working ranch, or even in the middle of Fort Worth or Houston, they’re impacting us all.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Abbott didn’t address whether Abbott would consider a data center related special session.

“Texas leads the nation in strategically and methodically attracting tech investments that create jobs and drive innovation,” spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said. “Governor Abbott was proud to sign Senate Bill 6 into law to support long-term grid planning, protect ratepayers from transmission costs, and ensure system reliability. Governor Abbott will continue to work with the Legislature to ensure Texas remains the nation’s leader in innovation while ensuring sustainable growth.”

He noted that governments and groundwater conservation districts have existing tools to regulate water usage, and that the Public Utility Commission has been tasked with studying how much water data centers use and what it’s used for.

A spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.

“Data centers have become an issue of national security,” Speaker Dustin Burrows said in a written statement. “The Texas House is committed to working to balance private property rights and economic growth while ensuring responsible planning that protects our communities. Given the statewide and long-term impacts of this issue, I look forward to engaging with members throughout the interim and next session.”

Staff Writers Elizabeth Campbell and Emily Holshouser contributed to this report.

This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 4:51 PM.