The pushback against booming data center construction continues to grow, even as the state’s grid operator warns of rolling blackouts in West Texas if new transmission lines aren’t built, the Texas Standard reported.
Dozens of legislators and state officials have been calling for scrapping the transmission buildout so the Legislature can reassess, while Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement of an audit of all data centers to be connected to the grid has forced the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to pause construction of the lines.
“Whatever the complexities of the policies engaged here — and the degree to which the deployment of these high-capacity power lines and the construction of data centers are distinct issues — in this moment, it’s the politics that matter at least as much as the policy,” said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Public Utility Commission approved a plan to build 765-kilovolt transmission lines across the state to meet transmission needs following Winter Storm Uri in 2021, which underscored the state’s grid vulnerabilities. Oil and gas operators in West Texas worry that the region has far less generation capacity than the eastern half of the state.
“The world’s most important energy basin is currently running on a patchwork of portable generators that just are not equipped for long-term needs or production growth,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.
The final decision on whether to build the lines rests with the PUC, whose five members are appointed by Abbott. The governor has not taken a position on the issue.
Wildfires sweeping through North Texas
The Ross Fire in North Texas scorched 85,000 acres in just three days across Jack and Palo Pinto counties, with it doubling in size in a few hours last week, The Texas Tribune reported. As of Sunday morning, the Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire was 31% contained.
No injuries have been reported, but some rural residents were advised to evacuate. With much of the state experiencing extreme dry heat, the Forest Service reported 10 active fires as of Sunday that have scorched more than 90,000 acres across Texas.
Fire severely damaged Worth Ranch, an 800-acre historic Scouting America camp along the Brazos River.
Judge again blocks drag show ban
A federal judge once again blocked a Texas law banning certain drag show performances, The Dallas Morning News reported. The judge said the law’s restrictions violate the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner last week ruled that Senate Bill 12 is an unconstitutional ban on free speech and permanently barred Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from enforcing the law.
The 2023 law, heavily backed by Republican lawmakers, prohibited “sexually oriented performances” in front of minors or on public property where children might see them. The law did not prohibit all drag shows. In a 36-page ruling, Hittner concluded that the law was both overly broad and unconstitutionally vague.
Paxton said he would appeal the decision “immediately.”
Tribe opens temporary casino in East Texas
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe recently opened a new temporary casino in Leggett, just north of Livingston, with plans to build a much larger resort on the site, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“Naskila Casino Leggett is the beginning of new beginnings for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas,” Ricky Sylestine, tribal council chairman, said in a statement. The new 24-hour facility features more than 300 electronic bingo machines as well as gaming rooms and a grill.
The tribe held a groundbreaking ceremony in June for a 685.000-square-foot casino with a large gaming floor, a 366-room hotel and other entertainment amenities. The first phase is planned this be finished in late 2028.
Tribal leaders say the casino will create new economic opportunities and become a significant economic driver for East Texas.
Paxton’s net worth jumps in latest disclosure
Lucrative real estate holdings have allowed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s net worth to increase by hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year, according to a recent financial disclosure, the Chronicle reported.
One property in Broken Bow, Okla., rose in value from at least $100,001 in June 2025 to between $1 million and $5 million this month, according to Paxton’s disclosure. A vacant piece of land in Johnson County, valued between $15,001 and $50,000 last year, is now reported to be worth between $1 million and $5 million. The law does not require exact valuations; instead, it uses ranges of value.
Paxton is the GOP nominee in the U.S. Senate race this November. His opponent, Democrat James Talarico, reported much smaller financial holdings, with his income ranging from $84,000 to $97,000.
Abbott pushes three-year college degrees
Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing Texas public universities to offer students three-year bachelor’s degrees, The News reported. His proposed legislation is part of an effort to cut college costs for Texas students.
The legislation also requires universities to offer at least 10 degrees that can be completed in three years and 90 credit hours, down from typical bachelor’s degrees that require four years and 120 hours.
“Every additional year means more tuition and fees, but also more in housing and living expenses. It’s also more time before students are able to go into the job that they are seeking while they’re in college,” Abbott said at a campaign stop at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
The Texas Legislature will need to approve Abbott’s proposal before it becomes a reality. TheTexas Higher Education Coordinating Board would work with universities to ensure that the reduced-credit degrees maintain “high academic standards.”
THECB has formed working groups to identify which degree programs and high-demand occupations would be best suited for the accelerated programs.
State to end funding for Flock license plate cameras
Abbott last week ordered state agencies to stop funding Flock cameras, the AI-powered license plate readers, The News reported. Many Texas cities that use the cameras have relied on state money to purchase them.
The Tribune reported that the state has devoted at least $30 million from a $1 auto insurance fee now imposed on Texans to fund the placement of cameras along the state’s streets and highways.
The cameras have drawn pushback. A Lufkin police officer has been charged with 100 felony counts of alleged misuse of Flock information. Other criminal investigations are also underway.
“To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government. To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
