The water Texans rely on today isn’t there by accident. It is available to us now because previous generations had the foresight to invest in water infrastructure long before the need for that water arose.
That’s the mindset that guided historic investments in the Texas Water Fund. As chairman of the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, I’ve spent years focused on a simple question: How do we ensure future generations have the resources they need to thrive?
That same long-term thinking should guide our conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers. I believe many of these projects present infrastructure development opportunities for communities already in need of new or expanded water, transportation, and other infrastructure—who too often struggle to afford it on their own.
More than 20 AI-related projects are being discussed across West Texas, including major investments in Taylor County, Childress County, Haskell County, Lubbock, Amarillo, and surrounding areas. In many cases, the data center developers and operators advancing these projects are working with local leaders to address community concerns while creating new economic opportunities.
For example, a company building a data center in Carson County is also drilling two new wells as part of its project. Near water-scarce Childress, a data center developer publicly committed to building a brackish water desalination plantthat will meet community and agricultural water needs across at least three Texas counties in addition to the data center’s water needs—all at the developer’s expense. In Stamford, local officials are exploring how new tax revenue can support long-term investments in streets, water systems and other community priorities. Each of these projects substantiates the potential for data center development to mean infrastructure development for the surrounding community—at little or no cost to local residents. It is fair to say that without addressing the real issues regarding water, electric and applicable infrastructure capacities, AI data center industry will find itself on the wrong end of the politics.
The benefits of data centers are not relegated to taxpayer-friendly infrastructure development alone.
For decades, rural Texas has faced a familiar challenge. Our young people leave home to pursue careers in larger cities because that’s where the opportunities are. If we want the next generation to return home, raise families and build businesses in West Texas, we must continue modernizing our economy to create opportunities here.
Data centers present one avenue to achieve that goal. These projects generate construction jobs, skilled-trades opportunities and long-term careers. In Taylor County, for example, new projects have employed thousands of workers, generating significant economic activity for local businesses and families throughout the region.
Data centers also expand local tax bases, providing communities with additional resources to invest in infrastructure, schools and public services—and shifting many existing financial burdens for local governments off of homeowners’ property tax bills. Not to mention that data centers are the foundation upon which AI is built—and developing our national AI capabilities is critical to maintaining America’s edge over our global adversaries.
None of this means we should stop asking hard questions. Data center developers and operators must seek and respond to community input and must provide state and local stakeholders with adequate data to plan for these projects. Based on testimony from the Texas Water Development Board during a recent committee hearing, some companies are doing a good job. Others need to do better. Texas deserves transparency.
Likewise, though, not every concern about data centers should stall a project outright. Where concerns can be adequately addressed and partnerships can be forged that benefit an entire community, data centers are a net positive for our state’s citizenry and economy. And many data center developers and operators are responding to state and local feedback by, for example, investing in advanced cooling technologies—including air-cooled and closed-loop water systems—that reduce water consumption.
Change can be uncomfortable because it brings uncertainty. But Texas has never succeeded by standing still. We’ve succeeded by planning ahead, solving problems and building the infrastructure future generations will depend on. It’s how our forebears built the sustainable future we enjoy today. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to do the same for them.
(State Sen. Charles Perry is a Lubbock Republican who represents Senate District 28 covering Lubbock, Abilene, San Angelo and Childress.)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Sen. Perry argues AI data centers have benefits, need vetting | Opinion
Reporting by By State Sen. Charles Perry / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By State Sen. Charles Perry | USA TODAY Network
