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Home - Political News - As AI Growth Brings Data Center Boom, Texas Legislators Rush to Protect Constituents

As AI Growth Brings Data Center Boom, Texas Legislators Rush to Protect Constituents

As the Trump administration moves full speed ahead with artificial intelligence innovation, Texas state lawmakers are worried about unintended consequences for their constituents. 

The AI boom is fueling the growth of hundreds more data centers, and Texas offers ample space for their construction. While Republican state lawmakers want Texas to support innovation so the United States can win the AI race against China, they are concerned about how the arrival of new data centers will affect rural communities’ access to water and electricity. 

“We understand that AI infrastructure is about more than local economics, and we support it,” Texas state Rep. Helen Kerwin told The Daily Signal. “We have to support it to stay ahead in the race, but not at the cost of future generations having water issues and power issues.”

Kerwin, the mother of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, represents a rural district where her constituents are concerned about the impact of data centers on their way of life. 

She first engaged on the issue after talking to a 20-year-old third-generation farmer who was afraid he would lose his family’s land. He said he wanted to stay on the land, Kerwin said, but he told her “they are offering us a massive amount of money.”

“He wants........

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