Overview
- Commissioners rejected a six‑month moratorium on new industrial development, including data centers, after hours of resident testimony.
- A late‑revealed letter from Sen. Paul Bettencourt to Attorney General Ken Paxton argued counties lack legal power to halt such projects and threatened state intervention.
- The proposed Comanche Circle complex from Sailfish would span thousands of acres near Tolar with plans for nine campuses totaling up to 5 gigawatts by Vistra’s Comanche Peak nuclear plant.
- Residents cited risks to water supply, energy demand, and quality of life, pointing to reports of a constant hum from a nearby Granbury bitcoin mine and warning the project could use up to 1 million gallons of water per day.
- Last month commissioners conditionally approved the Comanche Circle plan and gave the developer 45 days to submit technical details on water, drainage, wastewater, and power; Sailfish has declined public comment until after predevelopment.