Texas Agriculture Commissioner Raises Concerns Over Data Centers' Impact on Farmland
The construction and operation of data centers in the United States, particularly in Texas, have raised significant concerns among members of the agricultural community. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has called for a special legislative session to address the issue, highlighting the potential negative impacts on farmland, water supplies, and the electric grid. Despite the withdrawal of a planned data center project by Diode near Cedar Creek Lake, Miller emphasizes that numerous other data centers are still planned or under construction. Texas currently hosts 580 data centers, with Virginia leading the nation with 736. The American Farm Bureau Federation reports a total of 4,925 data centers active or under construction across the country. Concerns are particularly pronounced in rural areas, where residents fear the loss of agricultural land and increased electricity costs. 
