Hood County’s data-center boom tests Texas’s hands-off local rules

Hood County, Texas, is wrestling with eight proposed data centers across 7,600 acres that could demand up to 3 gigawatts of power and tens of millions of gallons of water, fueling fierce local opposition and a test of counties’ ability to regulate such projects; after failed moratorium efforts and several lawsuits from developers, county leaders tightened development rules, while nearby Hill County paused similar projects and state lawmakers debate broader authority ahead of a 2027 session.