00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.
00:02Texas Governor Greg Abbott halted approvals of about 1,800 new data centers amid concerns over
00:09power and water use, less than a year after touting the state as an AI development hub,
00:14according to the Wall Street Journal. The move comes as voter opposition to data centers grows
00:19ahead of the fall elections. More than 60% of Americans oppose new data centers in their area,
00:25according to a University of Pennsylvania poll. Candidates in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada,
00:31Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are increasingly targeting the facilities over electricity costs,
00:36environmental concerns, and tax incentives. President Trump defended data centers this week
00:41as an economic engine. AI companies are facing bans or pauses on new projects in dozens of states
00:47and localities as political pressure intensifies. For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.
