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A new report from the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance is sounding the alarm about the proliferation of proposed AI data centers in the state.
The report summarizes data center operations, growth, and impacts, along with a review of national and international efforts to respond to data center challenges and a summary of recommendations.
Rachel Hanes is policy director for the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance. She says Texas could be in dire straits if action is not taken soon.
"It's going to have very large impacts on our water supplies, on our energy supplies and public health, our coffers, our local government regulations and authorities and budgets," she told TPR.
Among the recommendations in the report for local governments, regional entities, and utilities is to adopt policies that could serve as guardrails against the adverse impacts of data center development. These include policies to improve data gathering and state and local planning; allocate costs fairly; improve and expand local regulatory tools; limit incompatible land uses; improve transparency; limit detrimental energy and water use; and limit increases in pollution and public health impacts.
The report also recommends data center operators adopt measures to limit potable water use; reduce demand on local water supplies; limit fossil-fuel energy generation and its public health impacts.
"We really encourage people to take a holistic view of the industry and use it as an opportunity to better prepare the state for generations to come, whatever the next high growth and high impact," Hanes said.
Hanes says at present state agencies are not adequately prepared to deal with the influx of AI data centers and that could lead to major consequences for natural resources and communities.
You can see the new report here.
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes effective broad-based advocacy for protection and preservation of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers, their springs, watersheds, and the Texas Hill Country that sustains them.
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