WORLDTECHTexas suspends 17 data center permits and disables automated permit portal
Texas has suspended construction permits for 17 data center projects and taken offline a web portal that had been automatically approving new permit filings. The move follows the discovery that permits were still being issued a month after calls to halt the process.
Permits kept flowing after the pause request
Governor Greg Abbott asked for new permits to be halted in September 2026. According to reports cited by 404 Media, watchdog groups FracTracker Alliance and Public Citizen each published findings detailing more than two dozen permits issued to Texas data center projects in the period that followed.
The discovery led the state to suspend the construction permits of 17 projects, which are facilities housing the computers that run online services.
Automated portal now unavailable
The permit system had been set up so that filings were approved automatically through a web portal. That portal is now unavailable, meaning new filings can no longer be processed through the same route.
The reporting available so far comes from a single outlet, Tom's Hardware, and the details it gives are limited to the suspensions and the portal shutdown.
Open questions
- How many permits were issued under the automated portal before it was disabled?
- When will the portal be restored, and under what review process?