OrganisationUS

RCM Hill LLC

Texas developer of Project Aquila, a proposed data-centre campus in Hill County.

On 28 May, RCM Hill LLC sued Hill County over a pause on its planned 1,235 MW Project Aquila data-centre campus, seeking $100m. The county rescinded the moratorium on 4 June, but the developer's claim remained active.

Last refreshed: 24 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why is one Texas lawsuit shaping how other counties draft data-centre moratoriums?

Timeline for RCM Hill LLC

#15 16 Sept

Mentioned in: Loudoun drafts a pause on data centres

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash

#9 1 Jul

Mentioned in: Santa Fe drops the bar to 1 MW

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash

#6 4 Jun

Filed a $100 million federal lawsuit alleging unconstitutional taking and retained the active suit after rescission

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Hill County folds, lawsuit lives on

#5 28 May

Filed $100m taking suit against Hill County challenging the moratorium on 28 May

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Texas developer sues county over pause

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Background

RCM Hill LLC is a Texas data-centre developer behind Project Aquila, a planned 1,235 MW campus in Hill County. Its public profile is closely tied to that development and to its legal challenge against the county's former moratorium.

The company became a named participant in the debate over local control of data-centre development after filing its federal claim on 28 May 2026. The case centres on the limits of county power to pause a proposed project rather than on a completed operating campus.

Project Aquila places RCM Hill within the wider US contest between large electricity-demanding developments and local planning authorities. Its relevance rests on its role as the developer advancing the project and testing the consequences of a county moratorium.

Key Issues

Project Aquila

RCM Hill challenges the county pause

On 28 May, RCM Hill LLC filed a federal claim against Hill County after its commissioners paused the developer's planned 1,235 MW Project Aquila campus. RCM Hill sought $100m and argued that the moratorium unlawfully restricted its property rights.

Hill County rescinded the moratorium on 4 June, before a court hearing, but RCM Hill's damages claim remained active. For the company, the dispute concerns whether it can proceed with Aquila without a locally imposed freeze while preserving its claim for the period when the project was paused.

Common Questions

Reference

What is a regulatory taking under the Fifth Amendment?

A regulatory taking occurs when government action restricts the use of private property so severely that it effectively takes it from the owner without paying compensation. The Fifth Amendment requires just compensation when this happens. RCM Hill argues that Hill County's moratorium destroyed its investment-backed expectations in Project Aquila without compensation.Source: KWTX

Do Texas counties have the power to stop data-centre projects?

Texas counties hold weaker land-use authority than municipalities. They derive powers from specific state statutes rather than a general zoning grant. The Hill County commissioners' own attorney warned before the vote that the county lacked authority to impose the moratorium, which is the central legal question in RCM Hill's lawsuit.Source: KWTX

What is RCM Hill LLC suing Hill County Texas for?

RCM Hill sued over Hill County's data-centre moratorium, seeking more than $100m and arguing that the county exceeded its powers. The company dismissed the case with prejudice on 9 July 2026.Source: https://www.kwtx.com/2026/07/15/hill-county-dropped-its-data-center-ban-after-100-million-lawsuit-now-developer-has-dismissed-case/

Why did Hill County rescind its data centre moratorium?

To limit its exposure in RCM Hill LLC's $100 million federal lawsuit, which argued the moratorium was an unconstitutional taking the county had no statutory authority to impose.

Is the RCM Hill lawsuit against Hill County still going on?

No. RCM Hill dismissed the case with prejudice on 9 July 2026 after Hill County rescinded its moratorium.Source: https://www.kwtx.com/2026/07/15/hill-county-dropped-its-data-center-ban-after-100-million-lawsuit-now-developer-has-dismissed-case/

Source Material

$100M lawsuit filed against Hill County officials over data center moratorium Data center developer files lawsuit against Hill County moratorium