ABBOTT ORDERS ENFORCEMENT AGAINST DATA CENTERS THAT FAIL TO REPORT WATER USE

ABBOTT ORDERS ENFORCEMENT AGAINST DATA CENTERS THAT FAIL TO REPORT WATER USE

Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Water Development Board to pursue penalties against data centers that ignore legally required water use surveys. Fewer than 30 percent responded last year, despite a reporting requirement that has applied since 2020. Abbott asked the agency for an enforcement and compliance update by October 14. The order matters in Lubbock as residents and officials debate the water demands of proposed large scale computing projects. It does not establish that any specific Lubbock proposal broke the law. It does signal that state planning will increasingly depend on actual consumption data rather than voluntary estimates, with noncompliant operators facing possible legal referrals or permit consequences. The deadline gives regulators less than a month to explain what enforcement will look like.

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