Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state regulators to enforce penalties against data centers that do not disclose their water usage, framing the move as essential for conserving resources amid drought conditions. The directive cites the Texas Water Code’s requirement for full and accurate water use reporting, with regulators instructed to address past non-compliance and impose legal consequences for future violations. The governor’s statement positions data centers as critical stakeholders in water conservation efforts, emphasizing their responsibility in protecting the state’s water supply. The enforcement action marks a step toward holding high-water-consumption facilities accountable under existing state law.
Republican Greg Abbott says datacenters must help ‘protect’ drought-prone state and disclose water useGreg Abbott, the Texas governor, has directed state regulators to penalize datacenters that fail to comply with state laws requiring them to disclose their water use.“Data centers must share the duty to protect Texas water,” the Republican governor said on Monday. “The Texas Water Code requires a complete and accurate water use survey. I direct the Texas Water Development Board to use its enforcement authority to penalize past failures and to impose legal consequences for any future failure to comply,” he added. Continue reading...
