Brazoria County commissioners are set to consider a resolution Tuesday that would establish the county’s official position that future data center developments should not move forward without safeguards protecting county resources and residents.
County leaders are set to consider a resolution calling for impact studies, stronger safeguards and greater local authority over future data center development.to consider a resolution Tuesday that would establish the county’s official position that future data center developments should not move forward without safeguards protecting county resources and residents.
While the proposed resolution stops short of opposing all data centers, it draws a clear line on future development.
“The Brazoria County Commissioners Court supports responsible economic development, including appropriately designed and sited data centers and related facilities,” the resolution states. “However, the Court opposes future data center development that fails to incorporate adequate safeguards to protect county resources and citizens. ”County leaders cite concerns about the significant electricity and water demands associated with data centers, as well as potential impacts on agricultural land, drainage, flooding, infrastructure, public safety and quality of life.
The resolution states that data centers require “extraordinary levels of electric generation and transmission capacity” and significant amounts of water for cooling, which can affect grid reliability and regional water availability. It also warns that large-scale development could result in “increased flooding in already flood-prone areas” if projects are not properly sited, mitigated and planned.
The document further states that data centers can create “excessive light and noise pollution,” increase damage to existing infrastructure and increase fire risk, creating what commissioners describe as “a nuisance and hazard to surrounding citizens. ” The resolution also notes that counties do not possess broad zoning authority or other land use regulatory powers comparable to municipalities, limiting their ability to address concerns related to infrastructure, drainage, water use and compatibility with surrounding development.
One of the resolution’s most significant statements reads that “no future data center or related facility should proceed without an independent impact assessment. ” County officials are also urging state regulators to require public reporting of anticipated electricity demand, water usage and environmental impacts associated with future developments. Just last week, the City of Alvin took a similar measure, formally opposing data centers from being built within city limits.
“We are aware that that data centers, you know, create noise pollution, other pollution, strains on grids and things like that,” said Alvin Mayor Gabe Adame at a council meeting. While there was no formal proposal, a potential builder contacted the city about a site near the outskirts of the city limits.
“One hundred to 200 acres, it was close to 200 MW day one, and it would scale up to one gigawatt. Two hundred megawatts is the daily power consumption for the city of Alvin, so I wasn’t a fan right away,” said Alvin Councilman Scott Salter. If approved, copies of the resolution would be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick, members of the Texas Legislature, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other state and regional agencies. Gage Goulding is an award-winning TV news reporter and anchor. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he comes to Texas from Fort Myers, FL, where he covered some of the areas most important stories, including Hurricane Ian.
Circle K reimbursing for contaminated fuel. Another driver reports damageAlvin City Council approves resolution opposing data centers pending further reviewFamily & Community Protest Brazoria County Deputy Shooting of Texas State StudentMan sneaks onto Houston United flight with fake boarding passMeet Nicole Nielson: KPRC 2's reporter dedicated to The Heights in Houston
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