Key facts
- Hinojosa said she would ban all data center approvals until the legislature passes laws protecting Texans.
- ERCOT was tracking more than 400 gigawatts of data center projects seeking grid connection when Texas halted connections.
- Abbott did not issue a formal moratorium; his air permit ban and audit had near-term expiration dates.
- Some 42% of registered voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll called limiting AI data center construction very or most important.
- Some 76% of voters nationwide opposed a new data center in their community, per an NBC and SSRS exit poll.
- A University of Houston poll in October found 79% of likely Texas voters supported limits on data centers.
Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Republican Greg Abbott in Tuesday's Texas governor race, pledged during the campaign to ban all data center approvals until the state legislature passes laws to protect Texans, according to a Reuters report published November 4. She called for a statewide moratorium and vowed days before the vote to stop the data center takeover.
Texas had already paused new data center grid connections. On August 3, Abbott halted the connection of new data centers to the state's electric grid and ordered an audit of the projects focused on power demand, environmental impacts and tax breaks. Abbott also took actions to penalize data center water violations retroactively and temporarily banned the state from issuing air permits for the projects. He did not issue a formal moratorium, and the air permit ban and audit had near-term expiration dates, with the audit expected to conclude at the end of 2026.
When Texas halted grid connections, ERCOT said it was tracking more than 400 gigawatts of data center projects seeking to connect, roughly equivalent to what it would take to power the entire US South, according to the report. Big Tech companies including Meta, Google and Microsoft have announced major data center projects in the state over the past two years.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist, said a day before the vote that data centers connect economic development to everyday concerns, citing electricity bills, water supplies and property rights. Some 42% of registered voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published this week said limiting construction of data centers used to power AI was very important or the most important issue for them. Some 76% of voters nationwide said they opposed a new data center in their community, according to an NBC and SSRS exit poll, and a University of Houston poll in October found 79% of likely Texas voters supported limits on the number of data centers that can be built in the state.
Elon Musk, who supported Abbott and had spent $158 million to promote Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, wrote early Wednesday on X: "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now."