Texas Governor Greg Abbott orders state regulators to penalize data centers that do not comply with Texas water laws, particularly rules requiring them to report water use. Abbott directs the Texas Water Development Board to use its enforcement authority against past noncompliance and to impose legal consequences for future failures.
The governor frames the policy as part of protecting water resources in drought-prone Texas, and he calls for accurate and complete water use surveys as required under the Texas Water Code. While both reports describe the same enforcement action and emphasis on disclosure requirements, one outlet highlights the new “water penalties” approach, while another focuses more directly on Abbott’s warning and the state’s requirement that surveys be complete and accurate. The specific penalties and scope are tied to regulator enforcement under existing state law rather than new regulations introduced in the reports.
Overall, the announcements signal tighter oversight of water use disclosures by data centers, with the Texas Water Development Board acting as the enforcement body.
