Residents protest data center boom

SMITH COUNTY – East Texas residents protested outside of the Smith County Courthouse on Saturday, asking lawmakers to put more regulations on data centers.

As the fight over data centers continues in East Texas, protest organizer Eva Cardona told KETK News on Saturday that she wants to see more transparency and regulation of these facilities.

“We are protesting the unregulated building of data centers across Texas,” Cardona said.

Saturday’s protest in Smith County was just one of over a hundred protests held against data centers across the country on Saturday. Texas alone saw 18 protests, the most of any state, according to the non-profit Humans First.

Cardona said she has family in rural areas and she’s worried about the potential impact data center operations could have on the land that her family calls home.

“We’re worried about how it effects the farmland and irrigation, but also ranchers trying to water their heard, everyday people trying to stay hydrated and enjoy everyday life with water that isn’t toxic,” Cardona said.

Many in Downtown Tyler participated in the protest by signing a petition asking for Texas legislators to call a special session to put more guardrails on the data center hubs. One protester, Aubree Sloan, urged the companies that build data centers to slow down.

“I’m against these massive data center projects that are going in at such a rapid rate,” Sloan said.

Sloan feels that East Texans should be put first and have access to the water they need.

“There’s people that are being restricted on their water and their electrical usage as residents, but the data centers don’t have those restrictions,” Sloan said.

While a special session hasn’t called, Cardona urges East Texans to get in contact with their representative in Austin before it’s too late.

“I beg you and urge you to reach out to your local representatives whether it’s governor, your mayor or your local city council member and even your legislators, especially your legislators,” Cardona said.

Unless a special session is called this year, the Texas Congress will meet for their next legislative session in January of 2027.