To win over locals, data centers pump $340M into rural Texas projects

Data center companies have poured more than $343 million into community causes across rural Texas over the past year, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of news releases, meeting agendas, and local interviews. The money has funded a $3 million water tower in Turkey, a $400,000 museum upgrade in Stamford, STEM centers near Temple, and a hospital and pregnancy center near Haskell, much of it flowing to the same communities that fought the developments hardest.

Temple stands as the showcase example: after a 2023 tornado destroyed the city's Sammons Community Center, Rowan Digital Infrastructure pledged $38 million for water infrastructure and promised $3 million toward rebuilding the center if voters approve a bond, even though the company is not yet generating revenue in the town. Rowan also hosts monthly neighbor dinners, and Google held a dinner in August to announce $6 million for Haskell-area nonprofits.

The generosity arrives alongside steeper costs: a separate Tribune analysis found Texas will forgo at least $3 billion in sales tax revenue over two years because of exemptions for the data center industry, and an August poll found 57 percent of respondents would oppose a data center in their own community. The Tribune's tally is also likely an undercount, since not every donation is disclosed.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.