Hinojosa Says Texas Must ‘Stop What We Are Doing With Data Centers’

Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa said Thursday, Nov. 5, that “we can build a strong working relationship with Elon Musk and his companies on our terms,” but Texas must “stop what we are doing with data centers” until it finds measures to protect residents.

Her campaign platform calls for a moratorium on new data centers and an end to tax breaks for large facilities. The pledge to pause new data-center approvals remains a campaign proposal and has not taken effect. Hinojosa is due to take office in January.

The proposed pause could delay power access for crypto-linked projects in Texas. The remarks do not specify that every project already under construction must stop.

Texas has also had a separate permitting action: Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to pause data-center permitting while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas conducted an audit. That earlier permitting action was separate from Hinojosa’s campaign pledge.