Data Centers

About once a month somebody forwards me the same idea. Have you looked at Chapter 60? The Ag Development Districts? Couldn’t the neighbors just form one of those and keep the data center out? I have. I’ve read the whole chapter more than once, section by section. And I’ll save you the suspense: a Chapter 60 Agricultural Development District can’t stop an industrial project, can’t stop a land sale, and can’t regulate what your neighbor does with his own dirt. It was never built to. Promoting it as some kind of shield would mean handing people a tool that doesn’t do the job, and one that carries a risk most folks never see coming. ...

If you sit through enough data center meetings, you’ll hear a line like this: “Our facility uses a closed-loop cooling system. It uses about as much water as a restaurant.” That can be true. It can also be one of the most misleading things said in these meetings. The number isn’t wrong. The problem is the numbers they leave out. A data center can use almost no water at its own fence line. But it can still be the reason hundreds of millions of gallons of water get boiled away every year. It can create a steady stream of chemical wastewater that a rural county has no way to handle. And more and more often, it brings its own power plant to town. The water and the waste don’t disappear. They just move to places nobody puts on the slide. ...

Daniel and Michael roll the tape on Wednesday’s Leon County Commissioners Court, going clip by clip through claims made by the County Judge, the Commissioners, and the County Attorney — separating what’s accurate from the misinformation and outright false statements presented to the public as fact.

Hill County has taken an important step. By passing a temporary moratorium on data center development, Hill County sent a clear message: counties do not have to sit quietly while massive industrial projects move faster than local governments can study them. Other Texas counties should follow that example now. Not someday. Not after the next legislative session. Not after every rural county has already been approached by developers, utility companies, battery storage projects, transmission planners, and tax abatement consultants. ...

Michael Rice and Daniel McCoslin connect the dots from Hill County’s historic first-in-Texas moratorium to Leon County’s 12 pending energy and battery storage projects, OpenAI’s Stargate supercluster, the SpaceX chip plant in Grimes County, and the Corpus Christi water crisis.

A recently released wildlife habitat assessment for the proposed BT Kahla Data Center project in western Leon County raises several environmental concerns that have not been widely discussed publicly. The review, conducted for the project developer and evaluated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), identifies multiple protected species and sensitive habitats on the property. The report does not block the project outright. But it makes clear that the land proposed for development is far from an empty field. ...

Michael, Ann, and Daniel catch up on two weeks of news: the 391 Planning Commission launch, Pecan Solar & BESS breaking ground on Hwy 3, a quiet reinvestment zone approval in Robertson County, Van Zandt’s moratorium holding strong, and Grimes County learning about a massive data center with one phone call.

We talk with Kevin Palmer, Fire Marshal of Van Zandt County, about what a fire marshal actually does, where authority comes from in Texas, how inspections and codes work in rural counties, funding realities, and what residents should understand about BESS and other large industrial sites.

Texas law does not require Leon County to accept elevated fire risk. Even without adopting a local fire code, counties retain authority to inspect, require mitigation, and contract enforcement using state-adopted fire safety standards.

One of our county commissioners recently toured a data center campus in Allen, Texas that is approximately 50 megawatts in size. I was not present for that tour, and I have only heard second-hand accounts. So rather than attributing specific statements, I want to frame this carefully: If a commissioner believes that a proposed 1,500+ megawatt data center and energy complex in Leon County would be “no big deal” based on a visit to a 50 megawatt facility, that belief is based on a flawed comparison. ...

If Leon County is going to host large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), hyperscale data centers, or major solar projects, one thing must be non-negotiable: Developers must prove compliance with nationally recognized fire and life-safety standards before approvals, abatements, or construction proceed. These standards already exist. The question is whether Leon County will require them. This post provides: The specific national fire codes that apply to BESS and data centers Direct links so anyone can verify them A practical explanation of how enforcement works in rural counties A clarification of misinformation being spread about fire codes and small businesses Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) NFPA 855 — Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems NFPA 855 is the primary U.S. standard written specifically for stationary energy storage systems, including lithium-ion BESS. ...

In this first episode of the Know Leon County podcast, I walk through how we first learned about the proposed data center and battery storage projects in Leon County. I cover: How the initial Amazon rumor started What research showed (and didn’t show) Discovering the Kahla Data Center and Storage projects A phone call with the County Judge that revealed four total projects How residents organized quickly to share information Where to go to stay informed as this continues Watch Episode 1 Prefer to watch on YouTube? You can also view the episode directly on YouTube here: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3E88NIAp4 ...

One of the most common frustrations I hear from residents is this: “These projects just show up out of nowhere.” To be clear, the County Judge and Commissioners are following the law. Agendas are posted. Notices are made. Documents are public. The problem isn’t legality — it’s accessibility. Most residents don’t know where to look, when to look, or what matters when they do find it. That gap is what creates distrust, confusion, and anger — even when rules are technically followed. ...

I want to start by acknowledging something important. One Leon County commissioner (TJ Foley) has already come out publicly and said: He is against the data center coming here He is not in favor of granting a tax abatement But if the company were to build anyway and later request an abatement, he would reconsider in order to do what’s best for the county That kind of clarity matters. Whether people agree with him or not, it shows leadership. ...

The document linked below is the project plan titled “Project Kahla” that was provided to the Leon County Judge during a meeting with representatives from Belltown Power. This is not a document created by the county. It is a developer-provided project plan and is being shared here for transparency and public awareness. What this document is A project overview provided by Belltown Power Shared directly with the County Judge Intended to describe the proposed Kahla project at a high level What this document is not It is not an approved permit It is not a finalized agreement It does not represent a decision by the county Download the document 👉 Download: Project Kahla – Leon County (PDF) ...