1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I'm asking you to oppose new data center projects in Texas until the state implements mandatory water reporting, environmental safeguards, and protections for residential communities. The Fermi America project near Amarillo wants up to 10 million gallons of water daily from the Ogallala Aquifer, which is already being depleted faster than it can be replenished. Texas has 391 data centers and counting, yet the state doesn't require most of them to report water usage. State planners have no concrete way to track current or future consumption. That's reckless planning in a drought-prone state with a water crisis. Communities in North Carolina and Virginia have already experienced the consequences: noise pollution, water contamination, and higher electricity prices. Texas residents shouldn't have to sacrifice their water supply and quality of life so tech companies can expand their infrastructure without accountability. As Will Masters of Ogallala Life put it, "Wealth here is the water. If the water is not here, this area is impoverished." Before approving any more data centers, Texas needs mandatory water usage reporting, restrictions on drinking water use for industrial cooling, and binding environmental impact requirements. Economic development shouldn't come at the cost of the resources that sustain our communities.