Data center permits continue despite Abbott's pause, watchdog finds

· Climate · United States

Texas regulators kept processing data center project permits after Governor Greg Abbott ordered a pause last month, according to an analysis of public records released Monday by the oil and gas watchdog group FracTracker. The finding comes as public opposition to digital infrastructure buildout grows. In Wyoming, residents gathered in Cody to debate how the state should manage data center growth; outgoing Governor Mark Gordon signed an executive order, "Data Centers the Wyoming Way," meant to guide the sector's development. In Ohio, a proposed large data center has upended politics in Sunbury, a Republican-leaning Columbus suburb, potentially complicating U.S. Senator Jon Husted's race; Husted was appointed in 2025 after former Senator J.D. Vance became vice president. The episode shows how local resistance to data centers is becoming a political issue across US states.

Why it matters：Data centers are now a flashpoint in US state politics, pitting energy demand and economic development against local opposition, and the outcome will shape where digital infrastructure can be built.

Key points

  • FracTracker based its finding on an analysis of public records.
  • Wyoming's governor issued an executive order to guide data center development.
  • A data center proposal has become an issue in Ohio's US Senate race.

Sources (original reporting)

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