Data Centers & Transmission

Policy Brief: Protecting Property Rights in the Age of AI Infrastructure

A Fair Deal for the Families Powering Texas's Growth

Texas is becoming ground zero for the AI and data center boom — and with it, a wave of new transmission lines, easements, and massive electricity demands crossing through Johnson and Somervell County farms and neighborhoods. Growth isn't the enemy. But right now, the rules are written to let out-of-state developers move fast while local landowners, ratepayers, and school districts are left to absorb the cost. That's not growth — that's a shakedown.

I'm not interested in "pause" letters that ask for a timeout and then go nowhere. District 58 deserves real, enforceable legislation that puts local families first.

The Reality: Who Pays for Growth Today

Cost of Data Center Growth Who Bears It Now Who Should Bear It
Transmission Easements Landowner, at below-market rates 3X FAIR VALUE
Landowner, compensated fairly.
New Transmission Infrastructure All ratepayers, via rising bills BIG LOADS PAY
The large loads that require it.
School District Funding Gaps Local taxpayers, as costs outpace formulas INFLATION-INDEXED
Protected by law.
State Parks & Public Lands Unprotected from nearby siting 5-MILE BUFFER
Buffered by statute.

*Based on the HD-58 Protection Compact's legislative asks on transmission siting and cost allocation.

Pillar 1: Fair Compensation for Landowners
When a transmission company needs an easement across a family's land, the current system stacks the deck in the developer's favor.

  • 3x Fair Market Value: I will fight for legislation requiring easement compensation to landowners at three times fair market value — not whatever a transmission company decides to offer.

  • Respecting Property Rights: Family land isn't a free right-of-way for corporate infrastructure. If a company profits from crossing your property, you should be compensated like it.

Pillar 2: Protecting Our Parks and Public Lands
Our state parks and natural spaces are irreplaceable — and they shouldn't be an afterthought in transmission siting decisions.

  • A 5-Mile Buffer: I will push for a mandatory 5-mile buffer (or full undergrounding requirement) for new transmission lines near Class A state parks, protecting the natural spaces District 58 families rely on.

  • Undergrounding as an Option: Where a buffer isn't feasible, companies should be required to underground lines near our most sensitive public lands — not put the burden of preserving natural beauty on the community.

  • This Isn't Hypothetical: Oncor's proposed 765 kV Dinosaur–Longshore transmission line — originating just north of Glen Rose — has drawn warnings that its massive steel towers could partially encircle Dinosaur Valley State Park. An administrative law judge has already recommended a route, and the PUC's final decision is due by August 18, 2026. A 5-mile buffer requirement would ensure irreplaceable places like this aren't sacrificed to a routing decision made in Austin on a rushed timeline.

Pillar 3: Making Big Loads Pay Their Own Way
Everyday Texans should not be subsidizing the electric bill of a hyperscale data center.

  • The 75MW Threshold: Any large load — data centers included — drawing 75 megawatts or more must fund the transmission infrastructure their own operations require, rather than spreading that cost across every ratepayer's bill.

  • Ending the Hidden Tax: Rising transmission costs baked into your electric bill are, in effect, a tax you didn't vote for. This pillar puts the cost where it belongs — on the load that created it.

Pillar 4: Protecting School Funding from Inflation
Rapid industrial growth strains local school districts before funding formulas catch up.

  • The VanDeaver Amendment: I will support inflation-indexed school funding, so that as costs rise with rapid regional growth, our public schools aren't left chasing a moving target with static dollars.

Pillar 5: The Local Reality — Air, Water, and Accountability in HD-58
This isn't an abstract statewide debate — it's already happening here.

  • Air Quality on the Clock: Johnson County's ozone status has escalated from Marginal to Serious nonattainment under EPA standards, with a 2027 deadline looming. Every new large-scale industrial load — including data centers — adds pressure to a problem our district is already racing against the clock to solve.

  • Water We Can't Take for Granted: The Trinity Aquifer supplies water for homes, farms, and ranches across District 58. Under Texas's Rule of Capture, private wells have little protection when large-scale users draw heavily from the same groundwater. Growth shouldn't come at the expense of the water our families and agricultural producers depend on.

  • Learning from Our Neighbors: Somervell County recently approved a Chapter 381 Economic Development Agreement for a large Amazon data center — a real, local example of the kind of deal-making happening right now, with real consequences for tax bases, infrastructure, and local control. District 58 needs a legislator who understands these agreements in detail, not one reacting after the fact.

Why This Matters for District 58:

  • For Landowners: Your land, your terms — real compensation for real impact.

  • For Ratepayers: The companies creating new grid demand should pay for it, not you.

  • For Our Parks and Public Lands: Growth doesn't have to come at the cost of what makes this district worth living in.

  • For Our Schools: Funding that keeps pace with the reality on the ground, not outdated formulas.