Residents press Hood County for industrial moratorium; hearing set for Feb. 10
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Summary
Landowners and legal representatives asked the commissioners to impose a temporary moratorium on large data centers and adjacent power plants to allow the county to study cumulative water, drainage and air impacts; the court scheduled a public hearing on a proposed moratorium for Feb. 10, 2026.
A broad cross‑section of Hood County landowners and legal counsel urged the commission to impose a temporary moratorium on permitting large industrial data‑center campuses and associated on‑site power generation. Speakers cited Subchapter K of the Texas Local Government Code and the county's special authority over watershed and water quality.
Adam Friedman, speaking for multiple landowners, told the court the county has unique regulatory authority under chapter 2.31 Subchapter K and that the conditional approval for Comanche Circle should be treated with caution until the county can require adequate drainage and watershed protections. "This is not nimbyism," Friedman said, "this is about their lives." Several speakers asked the county to use the moratorium to draft clearer local rules and to analyze cumulative impacts across the Brazos River watershed.
County counsel and commissioners discussed the legal tools available and then convened into executive session to consult on language. The court announced that a public hearing on a draft industrial development moratorium will be held Feb. 10, 2026; this meeting was for discussion and drafting only, not for final action.