Dear Senator Flores, Representative Buckley and Representative Hickland,

As your constituent, I am a writing to urgently request your intervention on a matter that directly threatens our health, our quality of life, our farmland, our infrastructure, our environment, and our future.

The City of Temple, and many cities and counties around the state, are currently approving large-scale commercial data center projects at an alarming rate without adequate study, transparency, or accountability. These facilities bring serious consequences: environmental health impacts, massive water consumption, heavy electrical demand on an already failing power grid, noise pollution, traffic, and long-term strain on our resources.

Most troubling is that the City of Temple, and cities like it, have refused to commission independent impact studies examining the cumulative effects of these projects on water supply, the electrical grid, roads, air quality, public health and surrounding property values. These decisions are being made without the basic due diligence that Texans, your constituents, deserve.

We respectfully urge you to take the following actions on our behalf:

• Formally pass a moratorium on all data center construction until independent, comprehensive, environmental and infrastructure impact studies are completed and made public;

• Call a special Legislative Session to define solid regulation regarding this emerging industry.

• Pass legislation to guarantee the citizens have a voice in any large-scale development that my impact our quality of life. Ensure citizens’ interests are represented in any regional planning discussions related to data center development, transmission infrastructure, and industrial land use

It is the responsibility of government to defend the best interests of the people against irresponsible and unsustainable development.

For many of us, this is the most important issue on the November ballot.

We did not vote for data centers. We did not vote for high-voltage transmission lines cutting through our communities. We did not agree to have our water, our roads, our health, and our way of life sacrificed for the benefit of out-of-state corporations and local governments that do not and cannot represent us. But we will vote in November. Are you representing the people or the corporations?

I would like to invite you to join us at the Bell County Commissioners Court on June 15 at 9am. This issue is of great importance to the community. Your presence and leadership would help ensure our voices are heard.

We are asking you to act, not someday, but now. Please respond to this letter so that we know our concerns have been received and are being addressed.

Respectfully,