Texas Utility Commission Sues to Block Data Center Records

The Public Utility Commission of Texas filed a lawsuit in Travis County on October 6, 2026, to block the release of geographic data concerning data centers and virtual currency mines. The commission argues that disclosing the county and regional water planning areas of these facilities, when combined with electricity and water consumption data, could reveal vulnerabilities that terrorists or foreign adversaries could exploit to attack the state's power grid and water systems.

This legal action challenges two rulings from the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton, which concluded that the commission failed to prove the information identified technical vulnerabilities protected under the Texas Homeland Security Act. The dispute originated from open records requests filed by journalists and a resident regarding a 2025 voluntary survey on industry resource use.

In a related move, Governor Greg Abbott has ordered increased reviews of data centers connecting to the electric grid. He also directed the Texas Water Development Board to enforce water use reporting compliance, with the Texas Natural Resources Information System tasked with taking enforcement action against non-compliant data centers.