TL;DR

Texas counties are finally fighting back. Hill County just became the first in Texas to pass a data center moratorium — and Leon County already has 12 major energy and battery projects pending before you even count data centers. Michael Rice and Daniel McCoslin connect the dots across the state and explain why Hill County’s playbook matters for rural Texas.

Watch / Listen

Prefer audio? Search “Know Leon County Podcast” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music.

Hosts

Michael Rice and Daniel McCoslin — Know Leon County

What We Covered

  • Hill County’s historic moratorium — a 3-2 vote made it the first county in Texas to pause data center development. Why it’s the new playbook for rural Texas.
  • 12 projects pending in Leon County — energy and BESS projects already in the queue, before data centers are even counted.
  • “Midnight votes” — how 830-acre rezonings (like Red Oak’s) get passed before residents even know about them.
  • OpenAI’s Stargate supercluster in Milam County — why it’s not just another data center.
  • SpaceX chip plant in Grimes County.
  • The UT Austin report projecting data centers will consume 3% to 9% of all Texas water by 2040.
  • The Corpus Christi water crisis — how the city ended up rationing residential water while ExxonMobil, Valero, and Oxy kept pumping 55 million gallons a day.
  • The 391 Planning Commission — what it actually does, and why Leon County finally getting one done matters.

Key Takeaway

Rural Texas counties are being targeted for large-scale data center and energy infrastructure, often through fast-tracked votes and with little regard for water supply. Communities have tools to push back right now — moratoriums, 391 committees, and showing up to commissioners court. Hill County proved it can be done.

Links & Resources

Notes / Corrections

If we misspoke on a statute, process, or terminology, drop a comment or send a message and I’ll post a correction here.