Portal Texas Used to ‘Rubber Stamp’ Data Centers Down After 404 Media Reporting
Commissioners in Texas said they’re making sure ‘all applications are reviewed by agency staff to determine if they are related to data centers.’
The Texas government has suspended construction permits for 17 data center projects following a report by 404 Media. The watchdog groups FracTracker Alliance and Public Citizen revealed that permits for data center projects had continued to be issued despite Governor Greg Abbott's call for a pause in September. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) portal for automated construction permit filing, known as STEERS, returned a 404 error, indicating a temporary shutdown.
The TCEQ later confirmed the shutdown to ensure all applications are reviewed by agency staff. Sam Law, a researcher at FracTracker Alliance, stated that the STEERS portal was essentially rubber-stamping construction approvals, including permits for OpenAI and Amazon. The 17 suspended permits are for stormwater construction, a crucial step in the approval process for any construction project in Texas.
Despite the government's stated intention to halt data center permits, 17 approvals have been suspended, and the entire STEERS site has been shut down for a more thorough human review. Law expressed concern that contractors may not be aware of the suspension, potentially leading to continued construction at some of Texas's largest hyperscale facilities.
Written by urgent.news from 404 Media's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
