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A possible project near one voter’s home shows the political pressure behind Abbott’s permit halt. A statewide poll shows broad opposition, but not how people will vote.
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Texas’s data-center backlash is moving from local complaints into state permitting and campaign politics. Lifelong Republican Mason McCallister says a possible Black Mountain project near Bells—still only under exploration—has made him question his political alignment after he struggled to get answers; he has not said how he’ll vote. Gov. Greg Abbott has paused environmental permits while auditing the waitlist, extending oversight beyond projects seeking grid access.
The August poll surveyed 1,200 registered voters: 57% opposed local construction, 30% supported it, with a 3.58-point margin of error.
Republicans were nearly split: 45% supported a local data center; 60% of rural voters opposed one.
Abbott’s permit halt also covers projects not seeking grid connections; repeal of the state tax break is only a proposal, with lawmakers not meeting until 2027.
Survey markers near Mason McCallister’s Texas home set him searching for answers about a possible data center. In a new CNBC interview, the lifelong Republican and three-time Trump voter says the experience has left him questioning his political leanings. His frustration with the GOP comes as Governor Greg Abbott halts data-center permits and the issue enters Texas’s governor and Senate races.
McCallister spotted the markers last December near his home in Bells and began asking who planned to use the land. He told CNBC that Black Mountain’s chief executive later confirmed the company was exploring a data center nearby. Black Mountain did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment about the possible project.
His chief concerns are water and power use. Other Texas opponents interviewed by CNBC raised noise and light pollution. Residents protesting proposed projects more broadly have also cited utility costs and property values. For McCallister, the dispute has become political: he says Republicans were too slow to respond, though he has not said how he will vote.
A majority opposed local construction in the August University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll.
Republicans were closely divided: 45% supported a data center in their community.
Three in five rural voters opposed local construction.
In that August poll, 30% of registered voters supported a data center in their community; 54% of independents opposed one. The survey asked about local construction, not whether the issue would change anyone’s vote. It covered 1,200 registered voters and reported a margin of error of 3.58 percentage points after accounting for weighting.
The same survey put Abbott ahead of Democrat Gina Hinojosa, 45% to 40%, in the governor’s race. In the Senate contest, Democrat James Talarico led Republican Ken Paxton, 42% to 39%—a narrow margin given the poll’s stated error range. The candidate figures and data-center views show the political setting, not that opposition is driving either race.
Abbott’s response has moved beyond grid connections. In August, he directed regulators to audit proposed data centers seeking access to Texas’s power grid before allowing them to proceed. This week, he ordered the state environmental regulator to halt data-center-related permits while the existing waitlist is audited. The halt also covers projects that are not seeking grid connections.
Abbott’s campaign says the governor wants data centers to pay their own way and protect Texas water and power. President Donald Trump has urged communities to welcome the facilities, arguing they bring jobs and lower taxes. Abbott has also suggested repealing the state’s data-center tax break. That is a proposal, not a repeal: the legislature will not meet again until 2027.
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