Texas's permit website kept approving data centers despite a freeze.
Texas's environment agency suspended at least 17 data center permits last week and shut its online filing system. Watchdogs found the system kept auto-approving them after Governor Greg Abbott ordered a permit freeze on 21 September. The agency denies issuing them, and the freeze lasts until a grid review ends in mid-December.
Why it mattersTexas hosts much of America's AI construction, and the freeze exists to check power and water first. A rule that software quietly ignores protects no one, so neighbours of planned sites should check permit records themselves.
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