Texas Governor Greg Abbott and California Governor Gavin Newsom just introduced new data center rules — and it's a big win for local communities

• Texas Gov. Abbott bans new data center grid connections until key audit is finished
• California Gov. Newsom introduces new laws regulating data center land, energy, and water usage
• Federal regulations could also be coming soon, but the midterms are still to go

AI data centers in the US have been dealt another blow due to new regulations and rules rolled out in Texas and California.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has expanded the reach of a de facto moratorium on new data centers until a new electricity audit has been completed, effectively preventing any new data centers from being granted environmental permits or grid permissions.

At the same time, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law new regulations which provide communities with greater control over the water, electricity, and land use of data centers built in the state.

States are backing communities, not big tech

“Simply put, Texans must come...

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