Public Citizen Applauds Brazoria County for Rejecting Tax Break for Massive Data Center
County commissioners vote unanimously to put residents above Big Tech profits
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, the Brazoria County Commissioners Court rejected a massive tax break for a proposed data center, the latest victory in a movement of Texans fighting back against the profit-driven expansion of Big Tech that threatens to upend the way of life in communities across the state.
According to a news report, the court rejected the designation of the proposed site for the Old Ocean Datacenter and its accompanying power plant as a reinvestment zone. Approval of the reinvestment zone was the required first step for the court to consider the $10.5 million tax break sought by the project’s developers.
“Brazoria County leaders did the right thing today by putting their constituents ahead of Big Tech’s bottom line,” said Adrian Shelley, Texas director of Public Citizen. “Big Tech companies have been crisscrossing the state in a rush to build data centers, arriving in communities with big promises about the industry’s future. If these companies are so confident about what they’re selling, they should be confident enough to build these projects without taxpayer dollars. By rejecting this abatement, the Brazoria County Commissioners Court has sent a clear message that public resources are not for sale.”
The company behind the project, Night Peak Energy, plans to build the massive 310-megawatt hyperscale Old Ocean Datacenter and a 310-megawatt gas-burning power plant to power it. The commissioners’ unanimous decision followed public opposition over the project’s energy demands and the minimal number of permanent jobs it would bring to the county.
Data centers are resource-hungry facilities that are being rapidly built to meet the needs of the artificial intelligence boom. Beyond the strain on the energy supply, which could raise utility bills for everyone else, these facilities often use massive amounts of water, a primary concern for communities in a state often plagued by drought.
In recent months, residents in Hood County, Round Rock and San Marcos have all mobilized to demand greater accountability and scrutiny of proposed data centers, evidence that communities are unwilling to hand out public subsidies to industries that gobble up resources while providing very few permanent jobs.