After hours of testimony from dozens of residents, Hood County commissioners voted down a proposed temporary pause on new industrial development, including data centers, after a letter from a state senator threatened legal action saying the county did not have the power to issue moratoriums.
The 3–2 vote comes as Texas faces a wave of data center proposals fueled by the AI boom and strong backing from state and national Republican leaders, prompting warnings from experts and residents about the state’s already strained water supply. Hood County, which sits about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, already has at least four proposed data centers. Residents say they were informed the night before the vote that two more are on the way.
