The Polk County Commissioners Court recently did something unusual for a small East Texas county: it got ahead of the curve. On March 24, 2026, the full Court — County Judge Sydney Murphy and all four Commissioners — unanimously adopted a formal resolution calling on Texas to carefully evaluate the rapid expansion of large-scale AI data centers. On April 14th, it will hold a public hearing on a proposed permit policy for industrial high-load facilities like data centers. That’s worth your attention.
What Is an AI Data Center?
Every time you use ChatGPT, stream a video, or ask a voice assistant a question, that request travels to a massive warehouse full of servers. Those servers process your request around the clock. These facilities — AI data centers — are the physical backbone of the digital economy. And they are multiplying fast.
Texas has become ground zero for this buildout. Over 400 data centers are currently operating or under construction in the Lone Star State. The Texas Observer The pace is only accelerating. By 2030, data centers are projected to expand tenfold across Texas. ERCOT projects the grid will need to nearly triple its current capacity — from 85 gigawatts to up to 218 gigawatts — driven mainly by data center growth. Texas Public Radio
That is not an abstract infrastructure story. It directly affects your water, your electric bill, and your community.
The Hidden Cost: Your Water
These facilities consume enormous amounts of water. The average mid-sized data center uses about 300,000 gallons of water per day — roughly the same as a thousand homes — primarily to cool massive banks of servers. Texas Public Radio
The statewide numbers are staggering. A study by the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and the University of Houston found that Texas data centers will use 49 billion gallons of water in 2025. By 2030, that figure could reach 399 billion gallons. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Meanwhile, Texas’s State Water Plan does not include projected demand growth from data centers The Texas Tribune — so no one is fully tracking the impact yet.
The Hidden Cost: Your Electric Bill
Water is not the only concern. These facilities also devour electricity. A conventional data center draws as much electricity as 10,000 to 25,000 households. A newer AI hyperscale facility can consume as much power as 100,000 homes or more. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Worse, Texans end up paying for the infrastructure upgrades that make this possible. Electric utilities spend billions to build new transmission lines and power plants to keep up with data center demand. Those costs pass on to all ratepayers — not just the tech companies. Consumer Reports On top of that, Texas provides roughly $1 billion per year in data center tax exemptions Consumer Reports — subsidies for corporations, while communities absorb the burden.
As for jobs? Data centers bring short-term construction work, but they provide relatively few permanent jobs once complete. Recent research found no clear evidence that data centers stimulate local growth in tech employment. Consumer Reports
Why Polk County Should Care
This is not just a big-city problem. Polk County sits in the Piney Woods region of East Texas — working timberlands, agricultural lands, and natural areas including the Big Thicket National Preserve and Sam Rayburn Reservoir. These aren’t just scenic backdrops. They are the economic and ecological foundation of this county.
The resolution specifically names the Neches River basin and Sam Rayburn Reservoir as water resources at risk. The Court noted that while Polk County receives comparatively higher annual rainfall than much of Texas, it is still not immune to drought cycles and depends on healthy watershed conditions. Furthermore, large-scale data center development could require clearing timberlands and farmland, increase stormwater runoff into local waterways, and fragment wildlife habitats — including ecosystems near the Big Thicket National Preserve.
The Commissioners Court also made clear that no confirmed data center proposal currently exists for Polk County. However, “proactive” is exactly the right posture. Communities that wait until a proposal arrives often find it’s too late to negotiate real protections.
What the Polk County Resolution Actually Says
The Commissioners Court went further than most local governments would. The resolution formally opposes the use of open-loop evaporative cooling systems — the standard industry technology that evaporates millions of gallons of potable water daily — unless a developer can demonstrate a sustainable water supply and adequate mitigation safeguards.
Additionally, the resolution calls on the Governor and Texas Legislature to take three specific actions. First, designate data center impacts as a legislative study priority covering grid reliability, water consumption, local authority, and fiscal implications. Second, consider calling a Special Session to address urgent reliability, water supply, and local governance concerns. Third, enact legislation giving counties and municipalities real authority over large-scale data center siting, infrastructure cost participation, and resource impact review — authority that Texas counties currently do not have under state law.
The Court also formally transmitted the resolution to Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, State Senator Robert Nichols, State Representative Trent Ashby, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, ERCOT, the Texas Water Development Board, and the National Park Service at Big Thicket National Preserve. This is on record at the state level.
A Question of Values
There is a fundamental values question at the heart of this debate: Who does economic development actually serve?
We believe it should serve the community — not just the corporation. When a facility consumes as much water as a thousand households, strains the power grid, and collects massive tax subsidies while paying little back, that is not economic development. That is extraction.
The Commissioners Court’s resolution gets this right. It does not say no to growth. Instead, it says growth must be responsible — that communities deserve transparency, independent impact analysis, and enforceable safeguards before a project breaks ground, not after.
Furthermore, Texas lawmakers took a step forward with Senate Bill 6 in 2025, requiring large power users to share grid infrastructure costs and giving ERCOT authority to require backup generation during energy emergencies. Texas Policy Research But the Polk County resolution makes clear that stronger protections — especially around water disclosure, land use, and community input — are still urgently needed at the state level.
Show Up on April 14th
The Polk County Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 14th at 10:00 AM CDT on its proposed permit policy for industrial high-load facilities, including data centers. The hearing takes place at the Commissioner’s Courtroom, 410 E. Church Street, Suite A, Livingston, TX 77351. This is your opportunity to speak directly to county leadership. Tell them what matters to you — water supply, timberland protection, infrastructure costs, and community input requirements.
Get Involved With Your Local Democratic Club
Local government decisions like this one are shaped by who shows up. The Democratic Club of Polk County works to ensure that residents — not corporations — have a seat at the table on decisions that affect our water, our infrastructure, and our quality of life.
To stay informed and get involved, reach us at hello@democraticclubpolkcountytx.org, follow us on Facebook, or visit democraticclubpolkcountytx.org.
This is our county. Let’s make sure it works for all of us.
No data centers in Polk County.