Texas Turns Data-Center Permits Into a Grid-Audit Gate

On September 21, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt permits sought by data centers until ERCOT completes its audit. The order broadens Texas’s data-center slowdown from grid connections into environmental and water approvals, making AI infrastructure growth conditional on state findings about reliability, water use, local impacts, ownership, tax incentives, and who pays for supporting infrastructure.