News Letter

Welcome

Welcome to our website and welcome to our newsletter. We will be issuing a newsletter on our website periodically. If you wish to receive our newsletter and “Action Alerts” directly in your inbox, click here. With our newsletter we will be touching on different topics concerning AI data centers, renewable energy, health, safety, and the environment.

RCSC Short Takes

“A fire broke out Monday afternoon,” July 6, 2026, near Point at “Barrett Solar, a facility of Cobra Industrial Activities, Inc,” according to staff reports (Rains County Leader, July 9, 2026), Barrett Solar is located in Rains County west of Point south of US Highway 69. Two fire departments (Point and Emory) responded to the call. ……. On July 18, 2026, there will be protests in Texas and in the nation opposing AI Data Centers. According to an email from Tucker Carlson on June 19, 2026, an organization called Humans First is “reportedly planning a ‘nationwide day of protest’ against Big Tech’s plot to pack the United States with Data Centers.”……. In a March 2026 letter to Governor Abbott, State Representative Helen Kerwin, District 58, stated, “In my district, I am hearing increasing concerns from constituents about the cumulative impact of large-scale data center development on local water resources and power availability.”  She respectfully requested “consideration of an IMMEDIATE PAUSE on the advancement of new large-scale Data Center Developments until our RURAL communities have had the opportunity to fully evaluate the long-term impacts on their critical resources and infrastructure.” ….… Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture, wrote on May 18, 2026, in his editorial, Opinion: For The Future of Texas, Pause Data Centers, “We must not surrender our resources to global corporations without asking hard questions about the costs to Texas families, farmers, ranchers, and property owners.” Miller stated, “We need clear priorities that put critical infrastructure and Texans first, and firm protections for productive agricultural land against permanent industrial conversion.”

Coming Soon…  An AI Data Center Near You

There are close to 5,000 AI Data Centers in the United States finished and in progress according to information gathered from “infrastructure intelligence and mapping platform Data Center Maps,” said Prenon (Epoch Times, May 20-26, 2026).  Texas ranks second in the nation with 544 AI Data Centers finished and in progress according to the platform, Prenon said. AI Data Centers are popping up quickly across Texas and the United States. “More than one-third of Americans now live within a few miles of at least one data center” said Prenon. Texas is expected to surpass Virginia in number of AI Data Centers. In an online article accessed June 29, 2026 (HoustonChronicle.com, June 17, 2026) Wermund said, “Texas is on track to be the world’s largest data center hub in just a couple of years.”

We are not aware of any data centers planned for Rains County at this time. However, an upcoming AI Data Center was recently identified for Hunt County. “In the first week of March 2026, Core Scientific announced they have acquired a 265-acre site in Hunt County where it plans to develop a large-scale 285-megawatt data center campus designed to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads,” According to Cowie in an online article dated March 10, 2026, full development is expected by 2029. The exact location has not been disclosed, however Cowie said, “ There are indications of the project being near the Signal Ranch Solar Project on Signal Road, perhaps off Cr3508.”

In Hopkins County, plans for what was described as an $18.7 billion hyperscale AI Data Center Campus, with the proposed campus being among the largest in North America spanning up to 3 GW of IT capacity and over 2 million square feet, have been placed on hold. (Aterio Research Team) A temporary injunction has been imposed on the project by a Hopkins County District Court Judge. (Garcia, February 28, 2026, accessed June 30, 2026)  Lawsuits related to the project are pending and waiting resolution. The city of Sulphur Springs originally partnered with MSB Global Services, however a new developer, CyrusOne, based in Dallas, is now considering building an AI Data Center in Southeast Sulphur Springs as MSB Global Services is being phased out. (Conte, June 2, 2026, accessed June 2, 2026) Katy Hancock, VP of Community Affairs at CyrusOne, said CyrusOne is in the process of due diligence and researching “whether the land is fit for this purpose” before making a final decision. (Mitchell, Gurley, June 27, 2026, accessed June 30, 2026)

AI Data Centers are “typically massive buildings housing information technology infrastructure, data-storage systems, and networking and processing equipment, “said Prenon. “They also require power subsystems, backup generators, and HVAC and cooling systems to prevent hardware from overheating.”

AI Data Centers “use water to cool massive computer services. They also require large amounts of electricity, and generating that electricity often uses water, too,” according to KUT news in an online article accessed May 26, 2026. A recent White Paper document by COMPASS Research Affiliates Program at the University of Texas at Austin, Water Use Requirements for Data Centers in Texas, predicted “data centers could account for between 3% and 9% of Texas’ total water use by 2040—up from less than 1% today,” reported KUT News.

With less than 6 months before the election, Governor Abbott said he wants to regulate AI Data Centers. His pronouncement came after State Representative Helen Kerwin’s letter to Abbott in March and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s editorial in May. Kerwin and Miller raised concerns about AI Data Centers. According to Piazza in an online article accessed June 26, 2026 (Dallas Morning News, June 10, 2026), Governor Greg Abbott is “issuing directives to the state’s top electric regulators to place guardrails on the booming industry in light of fears that its proliferation could drive up consumer electric bills.” Abbott “called for data centers to add new power generation to the grid, pay for their own infrastructure costs, reuse their own water and implement measures such as setbacks, among other proposals aimed at limiting their impact on residential communities,” according to an online article by Goldenstein and Guo (Texas Tribune, June 30, 2026, accessed July 7, 2026).

According to Goldenstein and Guo, Abbott recently advocated for “blocking new data center development in rural parts of the state during a campaign stop in East Texas.” It should be noted however that Abbott previously called “Texas ‘the epicenter of AI development’ when he announced in November that Google had made a $40 billion investment in cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in the state,” said Goldenstein and Guo. According to Goldenstein and Guo, E&E News by Politico reported in April that “Abbott has received over $2 million from people and companies linked to the tech and AI industries since last year.”

Some Texas residents are urging Abbott to call a special session regarding AI data centers rather than waiting until after the election. And some counties are urging Abbott to call a special session or make data center regulation a top priority this upcoming January Legislative session. In a press release from the Texas Department of Agriculture dated July 7, 2026, Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture Commissioner, said, “Is Governor Abbott genuinely committed to slowing this unchecked expansion, or is he sending a signal to data center developers, their investors, and campaign contributors that they still have a window to accelerate projects so they can be grandfathered in before the Legislature has an opportunity to act?” Miller asked. “If the Governor truly wants stronger safeguards, there’s only one way to remove any doubt: call a Special Session now.”

Meanwhile, “a new statewide group” was formed a few weeks ago “with former Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw–a close ally of Abbott’s–as its public face,” according to Wermund. “The Texas National Security Council says it aims to combat what it calls misinformation pushing local communities to oppose the projects without fully understanding what they are and why they are so important,” said Wermund.   

Sound familiar?!?

History has shown that during the Covid pandemic the people that were accused of misinformation were actually telling the truth. The Texas National Security Council reminds one of the “Ministry of Truth” as portrayed in George Orwell’s book titled 1984. “The Ministry of Truth” in Orwell’s 1984, was dishing out propaganda of its own with the intent of discrediting the truth and the truth teller.

One would question the Texas National Security Council’s intentions and credibility. The Texas National Security Council’s name sounds official; however this organization does not have an official government website (https://www.texasnationalsecuritycouncil.com/, accessed July 13, 2026). “McCraw, without offering specific evidence, said China, especially, is pushing misinformation on social media aimed at riling up residents worried about the amount of energy and water data centers use. His group plans to meet with residents and officials and try to counter some of that messaging, “said Wermund.

Think about it. Who is riling up who? Where is the evidence backing up McCraw’s assertion?

Data centers DO use large amounts of energy and water. Danei Edelen, leader of Southern Ohio Responsible Development, was quoted by Prenon in the Epoch Times article as saying, “Some of these centers can use up to 5 million gallons of water, which is equivalent to a small town.” According to DeWeese, (“The AI Prison Planet,” New American, June 2026), “Data Centers tap into both surface and underground aquifers to cool their facilities. ‘A typical data center uses 300,000 gallons of water each day,’ reads a 2025 Brookings Institution report, ‘but large data centers can use an estimated 5 million gallons of water each day.’ To put those numbers in perspective, a small data center’s water use equals the approximate volume of a full Olympic-sized swimming pool every two days; hyperscale data centers gulp down roughly eight of those pools daily.”

According to Prenon in the Epoch Times article, Clayton Tucker, who is the Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner and who is also Secretary of the Texas Farmers Union, “said water levels in some wells in the state have already dropped by 25 feet. “Tucker was quoted by Prenon as saying “Some of these centers are like building an entire new city, and power usage is expected to triple or quadruple by 2032.” In his editorial, Sid Miller said, “Our food and agriculture sector generates roughly $900 billion in economic output. It feeds, clothes, and fuels the nation. Protecting our rural communities, water supplies, and electric grid is essential to Texas’s future. Leaders must ensure growth strengthens the state rather than hollowing it out.”

Not only can AI Data Centers overload infrastructure and use large amounts of water and electricity, but they also take up massive land space oftentimes on rural agricultural land for livestock and crops. There are health concerns associated with AI Data Centers. Air pollution, industrial light pollution, noise pollution, contaminated water, and exposure to high voltage electricity and electromagnetic fields are some of the health concerns. Also, residents have been left footing higher electric bills due to changes in infrastructure.  

In the Epoch Times article Prenon quoted Edelen as saying, “As for the noise, it can be like having a motorcycle running 24/7. DeWeese said that “critics argue that the massive facilities not only disrupt rural character and scenery, but also generate disruptive noise—often at levels that can harm hearing (85-100 decibels). Citizens of Loudon County, Virginia, addressed a recent congressional roundtable with reports of sleep disruption, headaches, and other adverse effects.” On social media’s X (accessed July 2, 2026), the screen name of “Old Salty Marine” reported, “A farmer in Texas says he hasn’t seen a single live calf born since a data center was built next to his property. Only stillbirths since. If that’s happening to livestock what effects will it have with the people around it?”

In the United States, aversion to AI data centers is gaining ground. Prenon said, “Opposition to hyperscale data centers is growing with $152 billion worth of construction blocked last year.” In an online article accessed, July 2, 2026, (Forbes, May 20, 2026), Broughel said, “According to a recent Gallup poll, 71 percent of adults oppose the construction of AI Data Centers in their local area, and nearly half say they are strongly opposed.” According to an article, titled “Texas county officials push for local say on data centers, water protection” (Rains County Leader, July 2, 2026), “concerns about data center development have grown among rural Texans, including residents who have raised the issue with the Rains County Commissioners Court.”

Hill County has demonstrated that counties do not have to wait for Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature to take action. The Hill County Commissioners Court has put in place regulations to govern AI Data Centers and large-scale industrial projects such as Solar Farms and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). In an online article (Hill County’s New Rules For Data Center Development Explained, accessed July 2, 2026), Julie Waters, an attorney with the advocacy group, Texans United Against Data Centers, “told KCEN that [Hill County’s] new review policy goes further than the temporary ban ever could. Because the new checklist relies on existing state statutes, it is difficult for corporate lawyers to dismantle in court.”

Call to Action

Encourage Rains County Commissioners to act without delay and set regulations in the same manner as Hill County. Also, encourage our commissioners to join Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture Commissioner, in urging Governor Abbott to call a special session now. Urge Governor Abbott and our state legislators to take appropriate action to make our health, safety, and well-being a priority. In the meantime, a moratorium should be placed countywide, statewide, and nationwide on AI Data Centers and renewable energy installations immediately until all risks, impacts to the communities and harmful consequences associated with these technologies are fully understood, characterized, eliminated, prevented or mitigated to acceptable levels and until appropriate safety regulations and standards are implemented.

What You Can Do

1. Pray. Join our Prayer Warrior Team and receive prayer requests by email. Click here.
2. Sign our Petition here.
3. Inform others.
4. Voice your concerns and be heard. Encourage accountability and transparency of renewable energy entities by contacting elected officials about any concerns you have about renewable energy.

Elected Official Contact Information:

County Judge Brent Hilliard, 903-473-5000 ext. 122, brent.d.hilliard@co.rains.tx.us

County Commissioner Jeremy Cook (Precinct 1), 214-202-2416, jeremy.cook@co.rains.tx.us

County Commissioner Jim Jones (Precinct 2), 903-473-5000 ext. 123, jim.jones@co.rains.tx.us

County Commissioner Korey Young (Precinct 3), 903-473-5000 ext. 160, korey.young@co.rains.tx.us

County Commissioner Lori Northcutt (Precinct 4), 903-473-5000 ext. 124, lori.northcutt@co.rains.tx.us

State Representative Cole Hefner (District 5), cole.hefner@house.tx.gov

Austin Office: 512-463-0271, Mt. Pleasant Office: 903-717-8238, Lindale Office: 903-882-3254

State Senator Angela Paxton (District 8), angela.paxton@senate.texas.gov

Austin Office: 512-463-0108, Allen Office: 972-908-3424, Greenville Office: 903-454-2880

Governor Greg Abbott: 512-463-2000, 512-463-1782

To file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General the link is:

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint/filing-complaint- faq

US Senator John Cornyn: Washington DC Office: 202-224-2934, Dallas Office: 972-239-1310

US Senator Ted Cruz: Washington DC Office: 202-224-5922, Dallas Office: 214-599-8749

US Representative Pat Fallon: Washington DC Office: 202-225-6673, Rockwall Office: 972-771-0100

This information was obtained from the Texas Scorecard website, the Rains County website, Senator Cornyn’s website, Senator Cruz’s website, Representative Fallon’s website, and from the Texas Attorney General’s office.