By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. says the county will do whatever it legally can to keep data centers out of the community.
Owens addressed growing local concerns about the possible development of a data center in the county in a video he posted to Facebook on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The entire video can be seen here.
Owens said he has seen numerous social media posts about a property that was sold between Lausen Lane and Paesano Lane just northeast of the Del Rio city limits. Owens said the property, several hundred acres, was sold to a company based in Dover, Del.
Owens said he is aware some groups want the Texas Legislature to pass a law prohibiting Texans from selling land they own to companies that wish to build data centers.
Owens said, “Folks, I’m not for more government. . . We should have the right to sell our land. Now, if the state of Texas or the federal government wants to come in and say the Chinese or a group of foreign nationals can’t buy it, that’s something else. But we should have the right to sell our land.
“People are complaining that these people shouldn’t have sold, that the neighbors might sell, and they shouldn’t sell. This is what we’re listening to. It’s really difficult for me to come back and say that they shouldn’t. They’re doing what’s best for their family, and the property was for sale. If we wanted to buy it and didn’t think that they should sell it, didn’t like who was going to buy it, then we should have bought it. You all should have bought it,” Owens added.
Owens framed the opposition to the construction of data centers in the county as a fight to protect the county’s natural resources and existing infrastructure.
Owens added, “If other counties want them, hell, they can have them. But in Val Verde County, I think we need to protect our natural resources, our infrastructure and our citizens, and we should not begrudge these individuals that have sold this land, or the ones that are still coming and may be selling their land. It’s their right, folks.”
Owens said about two months ago, Val Verde County Commissioners Court unanimously passed an order not to give tax abatements or tax incentives to companies that want to build data centers in the county.
“When they come to us and want an incentive or an abatement, it’s not going to happen,” Owens said, adding he doesn’t believe the current members of the court will rescind that order.
Owens then spoke about the possible avenues the county might follow to regulate data center construction.
Owens said a small portion of the 200-plus-acre property recently sold lies in a floodplain and noted the county has a floodplains management plan it could possibly use to impose certain restrictions on the property.
He also said a small portion of the property lies within the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) area around Laughlin Air Force Base, an area in which the county has some zoning authority.
Owens said, “It isn’t to block somebody from building something, it’s to make sure that, at the end of the day. . . that we have protected our citizens and done everything we can to make sure that it doesn’t affect us in a negative way.”
Owens pointed out the property lies in one of the most sensitive areas of the county, directly over the recharge zone of the San Felipe Springs watershed.
“So do we want (a data center) on top of it? My answer is no,” Owens said.
He next addressed concerns about existing county infrastructure.
Owens said, “One of the things that we’re looking at is, are they going to tear up our roads? And you need to understand that I’m not saying they’re already here and there’s nothing we can do to slow this down, but if they do come in, . . . then I need to be able to make sure that we make every effort to protect our citizens and the tax dollars that we’ve already spent, whether it be on a road or whether it be on water lines that were intended for citizens, for residences, not for commercial use.”
Owens said House Bill 1223, which was filed in 2013 and widely supported by both Republican and Democrat members of the Texas Legislature, gave major tax breaks for the development of data centers in the state.
Owens said he has also been asked about the county moving to lobby for legislation to create a county groundwater conservation district but added several attempts at such a district were made even before he became a county commissioner more than a decade ago.
He then spoke about the amount of water a data center might use, pointing out the city of Del Rio currently uses about 9,300 acre-feet of water – just over three billion gallons – and data centers he has heard about, in Hill County, Texas, and Abilene, Texas, use between 280 million and 500 million gallons of water.
Owens said there is a water line the county has installed down Paesano Lane but noted it is only an 8-inch line and intended solely for residential use.
“The problem with that is, that line is not big enough for this project,” Owens said.
He said he has spoken about data centers with Roland Gutierrez, the county’s state senator, Eddie Morales, the county’s state representative, and with Robert Garza, who is running against Gutierrez for a seat in the Texas Legislature.
Owens said, “I told them we’re going to need help, whoever’s there, we’re going to need help, taking care of our natural resources, our infrastructure and our citizens. I’m not for more government, but we’re going to have to do something. Again, I’m really scared about this, and usually, a lot of shit don’t scare me, but I’m really scared about this facility, where it’s going to be built. There’s just so many things wrong with it being built there. It just is. I hope this gave you an idea of what we’re going to be faced with.”
Owens reiterated the issue is not “Republican or Democrat deal,” saying again House Bill 1223 was supported by Texas politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Owens said, “We will have to come together to try to keep this from happening, especially in the area where they want to put it up.”
Owens also reiterated that individuals have every right to sell their land to anyone who will pay for it.
Owens said, “Us, as elected officials, it’s our duty to go take care of you all. That’s our duty. Not theirs, ours. And like I said, we visited with . . . Morales, Garza and Roland Gutierrez. Roland Gutierrez was a little bit more vocal on this than the rest of them, and he just wants absolutely nothing to do with data centers. They don’t need to be in our community, don’t need to be in our state, don’t need to be here.”
Owens finished his statement by asking persons with comments or concerns to post them or to call him directly.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
