Texas has suspended the construction permits of 17 data center projects and disabled STEERS, the automated filing portal run by the state environmental agency TCEQ, after watchdog groups FracTracker Alliance and Public Citizen documented more than two dozen permits issued to data center projects since Governor Greg Abbott asked for new permits to be halted in September. All 17 suspended permits are stormwater construction permits, the ground raising and levelling stage that precedes building, and the agency says its electronic filing application for automatic authorisations is shut down temporarily so staff can review applications and identify data center projects. The portal was still approving projects this week, including projects for OpenAI and Amazon, FracTracker researcher Sam Law said, while Abbott’s audit of 1,800 Texas data center projects over their power generation, water consumption and community impact continues.
Texas suspends 17 data center permits, shuts automated portal
Texas has suspended the stormwater construction permits of 17 data center projects and shut down STEERS, the state portal that had been automatically approving new permits a month after Governor Greg Abbott called for a pause.
Why it matters: The portal kept approving projects, including OpenAI and Amazon projects this week, while Abbott's audit of 1,800 Texas data center projects over power and water use was under way, so the state's permitting machinery was working against its own stated policy.
Data as of Tom's Hardware report of October 24, 2026, read in full, citing 404 Media reporting and reports by FracTracker Alliance and Public Citizen. Single source at publication; no Texas agency statement was obtained directly in this run, and TCEQ is not expanded in the report. Developing item.
Sources
- Texas has suspended 17 data center construction permits and shut down automated portal that rubber-stamped projects - Tom's Hardware - 2026-10-24