Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Texas's state environmental regulator, issuing permits for air, water and waste across the state.
On 21 September, Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt new and pending data-centre permits while Texas reviews grid and water demands.
Last refreshed: 24 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Paused issuance of all data-centre-related permits
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Abbott halts Texas data centre permitsBackground
Texas created the Commission's institutional predecessor through the 1993 merger of the Texas Water Commission and Texas Air Control Board. The body later became the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission before taking its present name in 2002.
Across Texas, the Commission issues permits for air emissions, water and waste, administers water rights and monitors compliance. Its central office operates from Austin with sixteen regional offices, giving it a statewide role in decisions where industrial development affects environmental rules.
That REMIT made the Commission the agency ordered on 21 September to pause data-centre permit work during reviews of power and water demand.
Permit review halted statewide
Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on 21 September to stop processing every new and pending data-centre permit. The order places the regulator at the centre of Texas's response to a grid queue reported at 438 gigawatts, with data centres accounting for about 90% of planned demand.
TCEQ must apply the freeze while developers are required to show how proposed projects will fund their grid and water needs. Abbott also ordered power and water audits, and gave the Commission until 19 October to report its compliance with the directive.
