Public Citizen Praises San Antonio Council’s Data Center Rules Passage
SAN ANTONIO — Today, the San Antonio City Council voted to approve development restrictions to protect communities from data centers, making the fast-growing city the latest to act as state leaders in Austin do little to help.
District 6 Council Member Ric Galvan’s proposal passed with an amendment to include a setback from UNESCO heritage sites.
San Antonio has one of Texas’ largest concentrations of data centers. Nearly three dozen already operate in the city, and the municipally-owned electric utility expects another 59 to open in the coming years.
DeeDee Belmares, Public Citizen’s San Antonio-based organizer and clean energy advocate, issued the following statement:
“Across the state, Texans have been demanding that public officials side with their communities instead of Big Tech. The San Antonio City Council heard the call and listened to the people.
“The new specific use zoning permit will allow the public to weigh in on a project before it is voted on by city council, helping residents protect their neighborhoods from the rush to build these facilities. Still, community members who have relentlessly pushed for local action know that the work is far from over. Every existing data center and future development must be carefully scrutinized to ensure a profit-driven developer’s cost of doing business doesn’t come at the expense of public health or the quality of life for thousands of San Antonians. Now, this movement will maintain vigilance over data centers while pressing legislators in Austin to build on what the council achieved today.”