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Paxton unveils data center plan

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Paxton unveils data center plan Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) unveiled a plan for data centers if elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the latest GOP candidate to take a stronger stance against the controversial AI infrastructure. © Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press Paxton laid out…

· 401 words· updated August 25, 2026 at 06:22 PM
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, waves as he takes the stage during a primary runoff election night event after winning the Republican party’s nomination May 26, 2026, in Plano, Texas.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, waves as he takes the stage during a primary runoff election night event after winning the Republican party’s nomination May 26, 2026, in Plano, Texas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) unveiled a plan for data centers if elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the latest GOP candidate to take a stronger stance against the controversial AI infrastructure.

Paxton laid out his four-point plan, vowing to “fiercely advocate” for Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) state-level data center plan and sponsor or back various federal legislation.

This includes legislation that would bar the use of Chinese technology to power data centers.

He also said he would co-sponsor the Decentralized Access to Technology Alternatives Act, a bill from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that would exempt new, off-grid electricity providers from certain federal regulations in an effort to prevent data centers from raising consumer electricity costs.

“My Texas First Data Center Plan will protect our grid, our communities, and our children while ensuring America beats Communist China in the AI race,” Paxton wrote in a post on the social platform X.

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