* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. OKAY. [00:00:01] I AM GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO COME IN, BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF TIME, IT IS NINE 13. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE MEETING FOR THE PARKER COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT SPECIAL, EXCUSE ME, SPECIAL AGENDA ON TUESDAY, JUNE 9TH, 2026. SO THE RECORD SHOW, IT IS NINE 13. UH, THE ITEM ONE IS TO, [I.A. Update/Discuss data centers and take any action the court deems necessary. (Judge Deen)] UH, THE UPDATE, DISCUSS DATA CENTERS AND TAKE ANY ACTION THE COURT DEEMS NECESSARY. UH, JUST A COUPLE THINGS. FIRST, UH, JUST SOME HOUSEKEEPING. THERE IS A HEARING AID IF YOU'RE MISSING THAT, UH, THERE IS, IT'S DOWN AT THE, UH, SECURITY DESK AS YOU COME UP. AND IF YOU'RE MISSING YOUR HEARING AID, IT IS DOWNSTAIRS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND, AND START THIS MEETING. UH, FIRST I WANT TO, UH, ASK, UH, THAT WE WORK TOGETHER, UH, FROM A SPIRIT OF DECORUM RESPECT. AND, UM, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE FROM ALL PARTIES, FROM ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTY. UM, THIS IS SPECIFIC TO THE DATA CENTERS, AND THAT'S THE AGENDA ITEM. WE HAD A COMMISSION SCORE YESTERDAY. WE CHOSE TO PUT THIS, UH, ON A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM TO DEDICATED PURELY TO THIS. AND, UH, ALSO YOU, THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GONNA FIT IN THAT ROOM DOWNSTAIRS. BUT, UM, UH, I DO AGAIN, JUST, UH, JUST TO HAVE A RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER. UH, THERE'S GONNA BE OBVIOUSLY SOME DISAGREEMENTS PROBABLY THAT COME ALONG. WE'RE GONNA TREAT IT WITH RESPECT. AND, UH, IF YOU WOULD, LET'S WORK TOGETHER ON THIS, IF YOU WOULD. I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE MYSELF. I'M PAT DEAN. I'M THE COUNTY JUDGE OF PARKER COUNTY. UH, DOWN TO MY LEFT DOWN HERE IS, UM, COMMISSIONER CONLEY, WHO IS THE FAR END, RAISE YOUR HAND. AND THEN COMMISSIONER HALE IS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. AND THEN TO MY RIGHT IS COMMISSIONER, UH, WALDEN IN PRECINCT THREE, AND THEN COMMISSIONER HALT AS PRECINCT TWO. AND COMMISSIONER CONLEY PRECINCT ONE AND COMMISSIONER HA'S PRECINCT FOUR. UM, I WANT TO, UM, ALSO INTRODUCE SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I'LL LOOK AT THROUGHOUT THIS AUDIENCE. THERE'S SO MANY OF, I'M GONNA MISS, I WOULD MISS YOU PROBABLY MAYOR PASCAL, OBVIOUSLY, AND, AND THE CITY MANAGER. BUT JAMES HO TOP. THERE'S PLENTY OTHERS, I'M SURE OUT THERE. UH, AUSTIN GRINGER, UH, THE MIKE KOTT, CHIEF OF STAFF. I PROBABLY BUTCHERED YOUR LAST NAME ON THAT. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. SORRY. AND MIKE HOKE OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION. THANK YOU FOR COMING. UH, DOUG SHAW IS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE, FOR TRINITY GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT IS HERE AS WELL. AND WE'LL SPEAK. AND, UH, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I WANT TO ASK AS WE GET STARTED HERE, UH, FIRST EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, IF EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WANTS TO SPEAK, YOU WILL SPEAK. WE WILL, IF WE'RE HERE AT NINE O'CLOCK, OTHER COMMISSION WILL LOVELY FOR SAYING THAT. BUT IF EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WANTS TO SPEAK, YOU'RE GONNA SPEAK. AND, UM, UH, WOULD LIKE, AT THIS POINT RIGHT NOW, TO ASK THE COMMISSIONERS IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE COMMISSIONER COLLEY, UH, JUST TO OPEN THIS MEETING UP. UH, COMMISSIONER, IF YOU WOULD, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANNA SAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING. YEAH, I'LL JUST, I'LL SAY A QUICK WORD THAT WE'RE GONNA PASS A RESOLUTION OR ATTEMPT TO PASS A RESOLUTION HERE IN A FEW MINUTES. AND WHAT WE NEED Y'ALL, WE NEED Y'ALL TO HELP US WITH OUR, UH, REPRESENTATIVE AND, UH, THE OTHER GUY, BILL KING, MR. KING, TO HELP US WITH THIS, THESE DATA CENTERS, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE THE DECISIONS ON WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THOSE DATA CENTERS. SO WE NEED Y'ALL TO HELP US WITH THEM. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. I APPRECIATE YOUR WORDS. UM, I, I OBVIOUSLY AGREE WITH THOSE. UH, I'M HAPPY THAT YOU ALL ARE HERE BECAUSE ONE, WE NEED, WE NEED TO BE EDUCATED, EVEN US ON THIS COURT. THESE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HAVE BEEN, UH, A REAL DEEP DIVE FOR US. I'M VERY, UH, VERY HAPPY TO SEE SOME OF THE REPRESENTATIVES HERE THAT WERE INVITED. WE SENT INVITES TO C-T-C-E-Q, UH, ERCOT, UM, PUCT, WHICH THE REPRESENTATIVE IS HERE, AND, UH, ALL OF OUR OTHER REPRESENTATIVES IN AUSTIN. AND, UH, AS I LOOK OUT, I SEE SOME OF OUR SENATORS, THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ARE HERE, UH, TAKING NOTES. AND, UM, ALSO, UH, SOME OF MR. ALCOTT'S STAFF. I DON'T KNOW IF MIKE'S HERE OR NOT, BUT I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR SHOWING UP. I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS DISCUSSION. I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING SOME ANSWERS AND SOME EDUCATION ON THIS. AND, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR SHOWING UP. I HAVE A FEW [00:05:01] VERY BRIEF COMMENTS, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME, YOU'RE PROBABLY CHUCKLING AT THE IDEA OF BRIEF. SO, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SHOWN UP. THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHAT MAKES PARKER COUNTY GREAT. THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHAT MAKES AMERICA GREAT. WE WERE BUILT ON THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE HAS A VOICE. AND IF YOU USE THAT VOICE, YOUR ELECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS, YOUR ELECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS SHOULD LISTEN. I'VE GIVEN THIS ISSUE A LOT OF CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, AS YOU MIGHT GUESS. I'VE HAD MORE THAN ONE PERSON REACH OUT TO ME WITH CONCERNS. AND AS I'VE BUILT A LIST OF WHAT I WOULD CALL THE PROS AND CONS OF DATA CENTERS, I SEE A WHOLE LOT ON THE CONS SIDE. AND I SEE VERY LITTLE ON THE PROS SIDE. SOME OF THE CONS THAT I SEE ARE OBVIOUSLY WATER AND THE USAGE OF WATER. PARKER COUNTY HAS DRILLED MORE WATER WELLS SINCE 2015 THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN THE STATE. AND IN FACT, WE'RE 50% HIGHER THAN NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS WISE COUNTY. THAT'S NOT GOOD. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE NOISE IMPACT BOTH TO RESIDENTS AND ALSO TO WILDLIFE. CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT TO ELECTRICITY, THE DRAW ON THE GRID, AND THE POTENTIAL RATE IMPACT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR BUSINESSES. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT LAND USAGE, CONVERTING RURAL LAND TO JUST A URBAN BARREN JUNGLE, EFFECTIVELY OF CONCRETE AND ASPHALT. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT IN THE DRAINAGE IMPACT TO THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE DOWNSTREAM. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT TO PROPERTY TAXES AND PRO, OR I'M SORRY, NOT PROPERTY TAXES, BUT PROPERTY VALUES OF THOSE WHO LIVE NEARBY. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPERMANENCE OR THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF THESE DATA CENTERS. WE HAVE NO IDEA IF IN 15 YEARS THESE THINGS WILL STILL EVEN BE THERE, OR WE'RE JUST GONNA END UP WITH A BUNCH OF EMPTY BUILDINGS. WHAT'S THE LONG TERM IMPLICATION TO PUBLICLY FUNDED ENTITIES SUCH AS SCHOOL DISTRICTS? IF THESE THINGS EFFECTIVELY FOLD AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS, WHAT HAPPENS THEN? I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND LACK THEREOF TO MY UNDERSTANDING AFTER THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE, THESE DO NOT EMPLOY MANY PEOPLE. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A HUGE MIGRATION OF TEMPORARY WORKERS COME IN. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF DAMAGE TO ROADS. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE LACK OF A LOCAL BENEFIT TO PARKER COUNTY. DOES, DO THESE PROJECTS MAKE PARKER COUNTY MORE INTO WHAT WE WANT PARKER COUNTY TO BE? NOT THAT I CAN SEE. I'M CONCERNED. I AM CONCERNED THAT IF THESE GO THROUGH, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF THE REGULAR VOTER WHERE THEY MADE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND GOVERNMENT DIDN'T LISTEN WHEN I, I SAID, I MADE A LIST OF THE PROS AND CONS, AND I SAID THERE WERE QUITE A FEW CONS, AND I'M SURE I'VE MISSED SOME. WHEN YOU LOOK AT PROS, FOLKS WHO SEEM TO SUPPORT DATA CENTERS, THEY POINT TO IF THESE GO IN AND THEY HAVE A HIGH PROPERTY TAX VALUE, THAT WOULD BE A REDUCTION IN THE RESIDENTIAL TAX BURDEN ON THE AVERAGE CITIZEN IN THEIR PROPERTY TAXES, ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT TRUMP, THESE ARE NECESSARY FOR OUR NATIONAL SECURITY. AND AFTER CONSTRUCTION, SUPPOSEDLY, THESE HAVE A LOW IMPACT TO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS. YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T GONNA BURDEN OUR SCHOOLS WITH AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF STUDENTS. THAT'S ALL I GOT ON THE PROS. THAT'S A LOT OF CONS AND VERY FEW PROS THAT, IN MY OPINION, ARE RELATIVELY UNPROVEN. I HAVE SOME OTHER COMMENTS, BUT I'VE GONE ON LONG ENOUGH. I'M GONNA LEAVE IT AT THAT. ALL THE THINGS THAT THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGES HAVE SAID ARE ACCURATE. UH, THE PROBLEM WE'RE FACED WITH AS YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE IS THE POWERS THAT A COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS IN TEXAS. I CONTINUALLY BRING THIS UP WHEN OTHER ISSUES COME UP. SO WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS, UH, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS VERY WEAK. UH, WE, WE HAVE THINGS THAT WE CAN CONTROL, AND WE HAVE THINGS THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. AND SO WHAT WE'RE SEARCHING FOR ARE WAYS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONTROL. IT'S NOT AN EASY JOB, I'LL TELL YOU. WE ARE, WE'RE FACED WITH, UH, ALL THE THINGS THAT COMMISSIONER HOLT SAYS THERE. UH, BUT THEN WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, IF YOU LOOK DOWN TO SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES AND SOME OF THE, UH, [00:10:01] DIFFICULTIES THEY HAVE HAD WHEN THEY STEPPED FORWARD AND SAYS, WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA ALLOW THESE AT ALL. SO WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE IN THERE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE CONTROL AS A COUNTY GOVERNMENT. WE WILL BE LOOKING OUTSIDE OF PARKER COUNTY FOR THAT HELP, BECAUSE THAT HELP IS NOT THERE. UH, WE WILL BE, UH, MAKING EVERY EFFORT THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE THE CORRECT MOVE FOR THE TAXPAYERS, YOU THE TAXPAYERS OF PARKER COUNTY, SO THAT WE DON'T WIND UP IN A SITUATION WHERE, UH, WE'RE GETTING A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS LAWSUIT AGAINST US. AND SO WE DON'T WIND UP IN A SITUATION WHERE WE ARE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING. WE WANT TO MAKE THE CORRECT MOVES. SO THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES AS WELL. AND AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOU HERE ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA SAY, WE DON'T WANT THAT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DON'T EITHER. WE DON'T WANT IT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU DON'T WANT IT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THAT, BUT OUR ROLE IS KIND OF GOVERNMENT, IS KIND OF, GOVERNMENT IS NOT ALWAYS AS SIMPLE AS IT WOULD WOULD SEEM ON THE OUTSIDE. HOW DO WE DO THAT IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS YOU, DOESN'T SPEND ALL OF OUR MONEY ON ATTORNEY FEES, BUT GETS A DESIRED RESULT? AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TODAY. I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. UH, WE, WE WILL BE MAKING EVERY EFFORT THAT WE CAN TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, NOT JUST IN PARKER COUNTY. AND, AND TOWARD THAT, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU'RE HERE TODAY TO COMPLAIN OR TO SAY, I'M AGAINST THIS, RECOGNIZE THE POWERS THAT WE HAVE. RECOGNIZE WHERE THE POWER LAYS, BECAUSE WE WANT THAT TO GO STATEWIDE. WE WANT THE, THE PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT ABOVE US TO RECOGNIZE WHAT, WHAT OUR LIMITS ARE AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP, HELP US. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE IT, JUDGE. UH, WE KIND OF GOT AHEAD OF OURSELF A LITTLE BIT ON THIS. WE DO HAVE A, UM, A PROCESS THAT WE DO. THIS IS A SPECIAL, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT. UH, WHEN WE DO HAVE COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, WE SAY A PRAYER AND WE SAY A PLEDGE. IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE STAND WITH ME. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE BLESSING THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US TO COME TOGETHER AS, AS A GROUP, AS THIS, TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SPEAK AS A COMMUNITY, AS A, A COUNTY, AS A STATE, AS A COUNTRY, TO VOICE OUR CONCERNS AND HAVE THAT FREEDOM TO DO SO, TO VOICE THOSE THINGS THAT WE MAY NOT ALL AGREE AND DISAGREE WITH, BUT TO COME TOGETHER AND EXPRESS THAT VIEW TO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND GOD, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS. IT'S A BLESSING TO WHAT AND WHO WE ARE TO LIVE IN THE BEST COUNTY IN THIS COUNTRY. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND HELP GUIDE THIS, THIS COURT GUIDE, GOD, THE PEOPLE ARE CONSTITUENTS WHO HAVE COME AND SPEAK TO THEM ON WHEN THEY COME TO SPEAK AND, AND WHAT'S IN THEIR HEART. AND GUIDE THIS COURT ON WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS COMMUNITY. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. IF WE'RE GONNA DO THE PLEDGE, IF Y'ALL WOULD PLEASE ONE STATE UNDER, I'M NOT GOING TO. UH, I, I THINK THIS COMMISSIONER'S COURT STATED VERY CLEARLY WHAT THEIR POSITION OR MORE SO, MORE WHAT THE FACTS IS. AND, AND I COMMEND COMMISSIONER HALL FOR GOING INTO DETAIL A LOT OF WHAT THE PROS AND CONS ARE. I'M NOT GONNA WASTE YOUR TIME WITH, WITH REGURGITATING A LOT OF WHAT WAS SAID HERE, BUT I'LL SAY THIS, THAT I RECEIVED OVER 200 EMAILS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PHONE CALLS I'VE GOTTEN. I WOULD SAY PROBABLY MORE THAN 200 THAT, UH, HAS EXPRESSED THEMSELF PROFESSIONALLY WITH, IN GREAT DETAIL ABOUT THE VERY SAME THING. PROS AND THE CONS OF THIS WHOLE THING. AND THE CONCERN OF THIS, YOU'RE THE ONES THAT PUT US IN THESE CHAIRS. YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY OUR BOSSES. WE REPORT TO YOU OUR CONSTITUENTS. THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY HERE IS THIS. I, I READ EVERY ONE OF THOSE EMAILS AND THERE WAS NOTHING POSITIVE ABOUT 'EM. THERE WAS NOT ONE THAT WAS FAVORABLE. WELL, I'LL TAKE THAT BACK ONE. AND SO WE NEED TO [00:15:01] AGAIN, LISTEN TO YOU. BUT FOR ME, WHAT GUIDES ME IS WHO PUT ME IN THIS, IN THIS OFFICE, IS LISTEN TO YOU. THANK YOU. AT THIS POINT NOW, UH, AND I DID FORGET TO, TO INTRODUCE HIM ON, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. IT'S JUST JOHN FOR SITTING NEXT TO ME AS OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY, IF Y'ALL WOULD GIVE HIM A HAND FOR BEING IGNORED. AND HE IS A PRACTICAL JOKER. BY THE WAY, IS DOUG SHAW HERE? DOUG, COME ON UP. I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH YOU IF YOU WOULD. I HOLD DOUG. HOLD ON. I'M GONNA LET JOHN, THE ONE I IGNORED, I'M GONNA LET HIM SPEAK AND THEN I'M GONNA HAVE YOU COME UP. THANK YOU. AND WHAT, WHAT DOUG'S GONNA HAVE TO OFFER IS, IS GREAT. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING HIM SPEAK. AND THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. WE SHARE THE SAME CONCERNS ABOUT DATA CENTERS COMING TO PARKER COUNTY AND THE IMPACT THAT IT'S GONNA HAVE ON OUR COUNTY. AND FROM EVERYTHING WE READ, IT'S NOT ANYTHING POSITIVE. THIS IS NOT JUST A COUNTY PROBLEM. THIS IS A STATE PROBLEM. UH, I WAS DOWN AT A WATER SEMINAR AND I WAS, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO HELEN KERWIN DOWN IN JOHNSON COUNTY SPEAK. AND, AND ONE THING THAT SHE HAD NOTED THAT HER CONSTITUENTS DOWN THERE IS THE DATA CENTERS ARE A LITTLE AHEAD OF WHAT THE LAW IS CURRENTLY AND THE REGULATIONS. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO. AND THE CHALLENGES, AND THERE ARE CHALLENGES WITH THIS, UH, SINCE IT IS A STATEWIDE PROBLEM, THE COMMISSIONERS, RIGHT? THEY'VE BEEN VISITING WITH OTHER COMMISSIONERS AND OTHER COUNTIES TO SEE WHAT SOLUTIONS THERE MIGHT BE TO PREVENT THEM FROM COMING, OR AT LEAST TO PUT SOME REGULATIONS. SO THEY ARE GOOD NEIGHBORS IF THEY DO COME. AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THEY'RE GONNA COME FROM REPORTS THAT YOU READ IN THE NEWS. THERE'S UP TO A THOUSAND THAT ARE COMING TO TEXAS, AND THAT'S ACROSS 254 COUNTIES. SO THE ODDS ARE SOME ARE GONNA LOOK TO COME TO PARKER COUNTY. THE COUNTY DOES HAVE SOME CHALLENGES BASED ON WHAT THE LAWS ARE, BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAVE STATUTORY AUTHORITY, WHICH MEANS THAT'S THE AUTHORITY THAT'S SPECIFICALLY GRANTED TO THEM. SO IF THEY GET OUTSIDE OF THAT, THEN THEY COULD HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. THEY CAN HAVE LITIGATION. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT HILL COUNTY HERE IN A SECOND. I'M PROUD OF WEATHERFORD BECAUSE MUNICIPALITIES HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER AUTHORITY TO REGULATE THESE THINGS FROM COMING INTO MUNICIPALITIES. AND JAMES AND PAUL AND CITY COUNCIL, THEY TOLD 'EM NO, THEY DIDN'T WANT 'EM. THEY HAVE ZONING AUTHORITY. THEY PREVENTED THEM FROM COMING TO WEATHERFORD. AND I HOPE THE OTHER CITIES HERE IN PARKER COUNTY FALL SUIT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, OUT IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA WHERE WE HAVE LESS AUTHORITY, WE ONLY HAVE THAT STATUTORY AUTHORITY. OUR REGULATIONS ARE LIMITED TO DIFFERENT ENTITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. TCQ. FORTUNATELY HERE IN PARKER COUNTY, WE HAVE AN UPPER UNITY GROUNDWATER DISTRICT. WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH, AND THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. I DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH HOOD COUNTY, AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THEY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH A BIG MINE COINING OPERATION THAT'S CURRENTLY DOWN THERE IN THE NOISE THAT IT GENERATES. AND THAT'S BEEN A BATTLE FOR THE NEIGHBORS. IT'S JUST BEEN A TERRIBLE SITUATION DOWN THERE. IT ADDS NOTHING TO THE COMMUNITY. IT DRAWS ELECTRICITY AND CAUSES PROBLEMS FOR THE NEIGHBORS. UH, DOWN THERE, THEY HAVE DATA CENTERS COMING DOWN THERE AS WELL. THEY HAVE EIGHT THAT ARE IDENTIFIED TO COME TO HOOD COUNT. UH, THE CRITICAL THING ON THAT, THEY'VE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO REGULATE THEM AS WELL. ONE OF 'EM WAS THROUGH PLATTING, UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. AS A RESULT OF DENYING A PLAT, THEY, THEY'RE IN LITIGATION OVER THAT. THE PROBLEM WITH PLATTING, IF A COMMISSIONER OR THE COURT GETS A PLAT THAT'S SUBMITTED TO THEM, AND THEY CHECK ALL THE BOXES THAT ARE REQUIRED UNDER 2 32, OUR COURT HAS A MINISTERIAL DUTY TO APPROVE IT. SO THAT'S WHERE HOOD COUNTY MAY HAVE GONE OUTSIDE THE LINES AND WHAT THAT'S CALLED, ULTRA VIRUS, WHEN THEY GO BEYOND THE AUTHORITY THAT THEY HAVE. AND THAT BRINGS US BACK TO HILL COUNTY BECAUSE OUR COMMISSIONERS LOOKED AT THAT INITIALLY JUST TO DO A MORATORIUM ON THEM, COME INTO PARKER COUNTY. HILL COUNTY DID IT FIRST. AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, ENDED UP WITH A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT. AND ADDITIONALLY, THEY SUED THE THREE COMMISSIONERS THAT VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE MORATORIUM. TWO OF 'EM DIDN'T VOTE IN FAVOR OF IT AS A RESULT OF THAT LAWSUIT, THEY CAME BACK AND SAID, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA RESCIND THAT MORATORIUM. SPEAKING WITH DAVID HOLMES DOWN THERE. HE'S THEIR COUNTY ATTORNEY THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE LAWSUIT GO AWAY. THEY STILL ARE IN LITIGATION, EVEN THOUGH THEY RESCINDED THE MORATORIUM THERE IN HERE AT HILL COUNTY. AND ONCE AGAIN, IT GOES BACK TO ULTRA VIRUS AND THE AUTHORITY THAT THEY HAVE, THEY EXCEEDED THAT AUTHORITY. AND SO NOW THEY'RE STUCK IN LITIGATION THAT THEY POTENTIALLY CANNOT WIN. SO THOSE ARE, THOSE [00:20:01] ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE RUN INTO AS A COUNTY GOVERNMENT, IS THE AUTHORITIES THAT ARE GRANTED TO US OUTSIDE AN UNINCORPORATED AREA. HILL COUNTY DID ADOPT A CHECKLIST VISITING WITH, WITH DAVID HOLMES. UH, THE CHECKLIST IS JUST AUTHORITIES THAT ENTITIES WITHIN THAT COUNTY AND WITHIN THE STATE ALREADY HAVE REGULATORY AUTHORITY, WHICH WE'RE GONNA ENFORCE A HUNDRED PERCENT. EVERYTHING ON THAT CHECKLIST WE'RE GOING TO ENFORCE. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ADOPT A CHECKLIST FOR 'EM TO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO GO BACK IN AND REQUIRE WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR CHECKLIST. THAT'S ALREADY STATE LAW. AND SO I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY THAT HAS SENT THAT TO ME. I, I'D ALREADY RESEARCHED THAT, BUT THANK YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO THE COUNTY, PLEASE SEND IT TO ME. I, I'LL READ, JUST LIKE JUDGE SAID, READ THOSE, THOSE EMAILS AND MAKE SURE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S APPLICABLE TO US, WE'RE GONNA IMPLEMENT IT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE ON YOUR SIDE. WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO BE A GOOD COMMUNITY. WE ALL LIVE HERE. WE DON'T WANT THE DATA CENTERS TO COME IN AND DRAIN OUR RESOURCES AND TAKE THINGS AWAY THAT WILL MAKE US A LESSER COMMUNITY AND NOT A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE. 'CAUSE IT IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE RIGHT NOW. AND WE APPRECIATE EVERY ONE OF YOU BEING HERE AND SHOWING THE SUPPORT FOR THAT. AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR THAT. THANK YOU, JOHN. UH, AT THIS TIME, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GO, EXCUSE ME. GO MOVE TO DOUG SHAW, WHO IS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE UPPER TRINITY GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT. THANK YOU FOR COMING. DOUG, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? YES, JUDGE. IS THIS ON? YEAH. JUDGE, MEMBERS OF THE COURT. I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY. UM, I MEAN, AS, AS EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM KNOWS, THIS HAS JUST BEEN A HUGE TOPIC I CAME INTO THIS YEAR. I THOUGHT IT'S GONNA BE A FAIRLY RELAXING YEAR TO DO A FEW THINGS. OF COURSE, AS Y'ALL MENTIONED, HOOD COUNTY, IT'S NOT OUR DISTRICT AS WELL. UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY HOURS I SAT IN COMMISSIONER COURT MEETINGS DOWN THERE IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. UH, ROOMS JUST LIKE THIS. I THINK THERE'S ACTUALLY MORE PEOPLE IN HERE. UH, UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN A CONFERENCE LAST WEEK, UH, TEXAS ALLIANCE OF GROUNDWATER DISTRICTS. IT'S OUR VERSION OF TAC RIGHT? FOR GROUNDWATER DISTRICTS. IT'S, AND THIS IS AN ISSUE ALL OVER THE STATE. AND I THINK WHAT PEOPLE ARE REALIZING, YOU KNOW, AS WAS HAS BEEN SAID HERE, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY HASN'T BEEN GRANTED MUCH AUTHORITY TO DEAL WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. AND IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS, FOLKS ARE REALIZING OUTSIDE OF GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS LIKE OURS, THERE REALLY AREN'T MANY ENTITIES THAT CAN MANAGE OR, OR REGULATE WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS IN THOSE UNINCORPORATED AREAS. SO, REAL QUICKLY, AND AND I, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE HERE, IF, IF YOU HAVE THAT EXTRA QUESTIONS, UM, GIVE ME A CALL. OUR, OUR WEBSITE'S UPPER TRINITY GCD.COM. OUR PHONE NUMBER IS (817) 523-5200. YOU CAN CATCH ME AFTER THIS. JILL, SHE'S ONE OF MY ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS OVER THERE. SHE'S GONNA BE AROUND. AND I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO REACH OUT. BUT WHAT I WANT TO KIND OF JUST BRIEFLY GO THROUGH HERE IS A, FOR A POTENTIAL PROJECT, LIKE, LIKE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, LIKE THE DATA CENTERS, THE BIG INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS, WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO IF, IF THEY NEED, IF THEY WERE LOOKING TO DRILL WELLS OR USE EXISTING WELLS, BASICALLY USE GROUND WATER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET A PERMIT FROM US. THERE'S A FEW, THERE'S A FEW STEPS. THE, THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. THEY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, YOU KNOW, WE SCHEDULE IT FOR HEARING GOES BEFORE OUR BOARD. IT'S A PUBLIC HEARING. PUBLIC CAN COME AND, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT OR PROTEST, UH, AN APPLICATION. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IS IMPORTANT, THERE'S TWO THINGS. ONE WE'VE DONE RECENTLY AND ONE STRAIGHT OUT OF STATUTE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID RECENTLY, UH, IT WAS ACTUALLY DRIVEN REALLY BY SOME DENSE DEVELOPMENT WE'VE SEEN GOING IN, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT GROUNDWATER RESOURCES IN PARKER COUNTY AND IN OUR ENTIRE DISTRICT ARE LIMITED, RIGHT? AND AS YOU MOVE WEST, THEY GET MORE LIMITED. UM, HISTORICALLY, OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CITIES IN PARKER COUNTY, WHICH ARE TRANSITIONING TO SURFACE WATER, UH, THERE HADN'T BEEN A LOT OF DENSE DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, USING GROUNDWATER. UH, THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE PROJECTS. ONE IN PARKER COUNTY, ONE IN WISE COUNTY, ONE IN WISE COUNTY. WE HAD, BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE THINGS THEY'D ASKED FOR, WE'D REQUIRED THEM TO DO A PRETTY IN DEPTH STUDY. THE RESULTS WERE TELLING, RIGHT? WE, WE KNEW WHAT THE RESULTS WERE GONNA LOOK LIKE, JUST 'CAUSE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BELOW THE GROUND HERE. BUT THAT LED US TO ADOPTING A REQUIREMENT FOR WHAT WE CONSIDER LARGE PERMITS. SO ANY ENTITY, ANY FOR ANY PURPOSE, YOU KNOW, BE IT A DENSE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OR BE IT COMMERCIAL, SOMEBODY COMING IN AND ASKING FOR [00:25:01] 50 MILLION GALLONS A YEAR UNDER A PERMIT WILL KICK OFF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO DO A, A VERY IN DEPTH STUDY, RIGHT? THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO OUT, DRILL SOME WELLS, DO AN AQUIFER TEST, UH, ESTIMATE THE IMPACTS OF WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING AT, YOU KNOW, ONE YEAR, 10 YEARS, 30 YEARS, 50 YEARS. UM, IF THOSE RESULTS ARE NOT IDEAL, THEN WE'RE GONNA USE THAT AND WE'RE GONNA VERY LIKELY LIMIT WHAT WE ULTIMATELY PERMIT THEM, RIGHT? BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY COMES IN AND DOES SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE WHAT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY DOING. RIGHT? OUR GOAL IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE TO CONTINUE TO LIVE THE WAY WE WANNA LIVE, RIGHT? IF WE, WE DO SO MUCH DAMAGE TO THE AQUIFER THAT FOLKS CAN'T LIVE ON PRIVATE WELLS, THAT'S GONNA HAVE A VERY, VERY DETRIMENTAL IMPACT TO THE COUNTY, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF WELLS START GOING DRY, PROPERTY VALUES START TO FALL, PEOPLE CAN'T SELL HOMES. UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN THE COUNTY AND AND TRULY RURAL SETTINGS CAN'T CONTINUE TO DO WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING FOR GENERATIONS. SO, SO THIS IS OUR GOAL, RIGHT? THAT WAS THE GOAL BEHIND ADOPTING THAT STUDY REQUIREMENT. SO WHEN SOMEBODY COMES TO US AND SAYS THEY WANT A LARGE PERMIT, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO OUT AND DO THAT STUDY. WE'RE NOT GONNA SCHEDULE THE HEARING UNTIL THEY FINISH THAT STUDY TO OUR SATISFACTION. UNTIL WE SIT DOWN AND EITHER COME TO THE TERMS THAT BOTH PARTIES, US AND THE APPLICANT AGREE TO, OR WE DON'T. WE JUST MOVE FORWARD. AND I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT THEY DON'T AGREE WITH. SECONDLY, ONCE THAT, THAT ONCE THAT HEARING IS SCHEDULED, AND I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE, OR PEOPLE ARE GONNA REALLY BE INTERESTED IN THIS CHAPTER 36 OF THE TEXAS WATER CODE, WHICH IS WHAT WE OPERATE UNDER, LAYS OUT A VERY CLEAR PROCESS FOR LANDOWNERS. I BELIEVE THE TERM, AND JOHN, CORRECT ME IF I SAY THIS WRONG, BUT ANYBODY WITH A JUSTICE, RIGHT? AND GROUNDWATER, BASICALLY, IF YOU OWN PROPERTY, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO THAT GROUNDWATER BELOW IT. SO ANYBODY THAT HAS A DISABLE, RIGHT? AND GROUNDWATER HAS THE ABILITY TO REQUEST A CONTESTED CASE. SO WE SCHEDULE A PERMIT. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I GET A PERMIT TOMORROW, WE GET IT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING. SOMEBODY LIVES NEARBY IS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT PROJECT. THEY CAN FILE AN, UH, THEY CAN REQUEST A CONTESTED CASE. I THEN IMMEDIATELY TELL MY BOARD PRESIDENT, WE'VE GOT A REQUEST FOR CONTESTED CASE. WE TABLE THAT HEARING, SCHEDULE A HEARING ON THE CON ON THE REQUEST, AND THEN THE NEXT MONTH, WE CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT TO GRANT THAT REQUEST, THAT THAT CONTESTED CASE, IF THE, IF THAT MY RECOMMENDATION, IF IT'S A VALID REQUEST, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE TO PROTECT LANDOWNERS. MY RECOMMENDATION TO MY BOARD, IF THE VALID REQUEST WOULD ALWAYS BE TO GRANT THE CASE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, I WOULD THEN RECOMMEND, AND I KNOW OUR LEGAL COUNSEL WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE SEND THAT CASE TO SOA. UM, MY BOARD DOESN'T WANNA ACT AS A JUDGE AND SET THAT CASE. SO THEN WE SEND THAT CASE TO THAT, THAT, UH, THAT PERMIT REQUEST TO SOA, IT'S A STATE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING. IT'S BASICALLY THE STATE'S ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE. UM, THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SIX MONTHS A YEAR. I MEAN, YOU'RE AT THEIR, AT THEIR MERCY. HOW LONG THAT TAKES. UM, THE SOA JUDGE THEN MAKES A RECOMMENDATION BACK TO MY BOARD. AND WE'VE GOT, WE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME TO EITHER TAKE ACTION ON THAT. WE CAN ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION. MY BOARD CAN THEN MAKE A DECISION OUTSIDE OF THAT RECOMMENDATION. IF THEY CHOOSE, UH, WE CAN NEGOTIATE WITH THE APPLICANT TO COME TO AGREEMENT ON SOMETHING, OR WE COULD STAY SILENT. IF THE BOARD TAKES NO ACTION, THEN THE, SO A JUDGE'S RECOMMENDATION BECOMES THE FINAL DECISION. BUT ULTIMATELY WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS THERE IS A VERY CLEAR PATH AND, AND, AND KNOW THAT IF SOMEONE DOES REQUEST A CONTESTED CASE, IT'S NOT FREE. I MEAN, IT'S LIKE REQUESTING A LAW AND A SUIT, RIGHT? SO WHOEVER REQUESTS THAT, UH, CONTESTED CASE IS GOING TO HAVE TO GET AN ATTORNEY. THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO AND, AND STATE THEIR CASE TO SOA JUST LIKE THEY WOULD IN FRONT OF A, A JUDGE IN A, IN A CIVIL CASE, RIGHT? SO IT, IT COULD BE COSTLY, BUT IT IS A VERY CLEAR PATH FOR FOLKS THAT ARE, HAVE CONCERNS TO GET, TO HAVE THEIR CONCERNS HEARD AND TO TRULY PROTEST AN APPLICATION. UM, HOW THAT TURNS OUT, I CAN'T TELL YOU, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS, IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, AFFORDED TO, TO CITIZENS. UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S ABOUT THE, THE EXTENT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR US JUST TO SAY NO. IF SOMEONE MEETS OUR TRACK SIZE, OUR SPACING REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND THEN FALLS WITHIN, UH, THE PERMIT, HOW WE PERMIT, AND WE IDENTIFY THAT THERE AREN'T UNNECESSARY, UH, IMPACTS, UM, TO THE AREA, RIGHT? THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT WE CAN HANG OUR HAT ON IN REDUCING A PERMIT REQUEST. REQUEST IS WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS TO THE AREA? AND IT HAS TO BE BASED ON, ON REAL SCIENCE. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH EVERYBODY HERE IN THIS ROOM. I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COURT TO MAKE Y'ALL AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE, WE'RE VERY AWARE OF, OF THIS INFLUX, OF [00:30:01] THESE LARGE COMMERCIAL PROJECTS. YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL TREAT EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT THE SAME, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO LARGE PERMIT REQUESTS, WE DO HAVE EXTRA, YOU KNOW, SOME EXTRA HURDLES THEY HAVE TO CROSS. AND, YOU KNOW, I ENCOURAGE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO, IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY, YOU KNOW, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, SIGN UP TO GET NOTIFIED OF, OF, UH, MEETING, OF ANY MEETINGS OR HEARINGS, UH, REACH OUT TO ME, MY STAFF, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE REALLY AND TRULY HAPPY TO HELP. UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COURT IF THERE ARE ANY. THANK YOU MR. SHAW FOR COMING. I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON REGARDING THAT CHAPTER 36, IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO FILE A CONTESTED, UH, AND CONTEST A PERMIT. YES, SIR. IN YOUR, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE AND IN YOUR HISTORY MM-HMM . WHAT TYPE OF PROXIMITY HAVE YOU SEEN THESE CONTESTED PERMITS BE, SAY, BOTH SUCCESSFUL AND RIGHT. MAYBE AN AUTOMATIC DECLINE, SO, SO THAT WE WOULD KNOW NO, NO, NO. THAT, THAT, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION RELATION TO THIS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING I'M, WE'RE GONNA LOOK INTO 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? EVERY, EVERY TIME. YOU KNOW, I WOULD ARGUE THAT ANYBODY THAT'S WITHIN, YOU KNOW, A FEW MILES FROM A PROJECT COULD BE IMPACTED, RIGHT? FROM A VERY, VERY LARGE PROJECT. UM, THE WAY IT'S, IT'S, IT'S VERY AM AMBIGUOUS THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN IN 36. IT JUST SAYS, IF YOU HAVE A RIGHT AND GROUNDWATER, YOU CAN REQUEST IT, RIGHT? SO THAT'S BASICALLY ANYBODY, ANYBODY THAT OWNS LAND CAN REQUEST THE CASE. NOW, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'LL BE GRANTED, UH, PARTY STATUS ONCE YOU GET TO, TO SOA, I MEAN, THAT'S AT THE DISCRETION OF THE JUDGE, RIGHT? AND EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD HAS DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES AND DIFFERENT, I MEAN, GOOD DAYS, BAD DAYS. SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. I'VE SEEN CASES WHERE IT WAS NOT TOO DIFFICULT TO GET PARTIES PARTY STANDING. I'VE SEEN SOME WHERE IT WAS QUITE DIFFICULT. UM, BUT I THINK I, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT FOLKS NEED TO BE AWARE OF, FOLKS NEED TO THINK ABOUT. AND I'M LOOKING INTO, RIGHT. I'VE JUST ACTUALLY STARTED READING SOME, UH, SOME DOCUMENTATION FROM A VERY RECENT CASE WHERE THERE WAS, THERE WAS SOME ISSUE GETTING PARTY STANDING. SO I'M TRYING TO EDUCATE MYSELF SO I CAN BETTER EDUCATE THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY. YES, SIR. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE COURT? I, I APPRECIATE, JUDGE. YEP. CAN I ASK YOU ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE TO REPEAT THE NAME OF YOUR WEBSITE AND THE PHONE NUMBER THAT FOLKS CAN REACH OUT TO YOU AT? IT'S UPPER TRINITY GCD.COM AND OUR WEBSITE IS (817) 523-5200. AND CALL US ANYTIME. YOU CAN ASK FOR ME EITHER. IF, IF YOU CALL UP THEIR OFFICE, YOU CAN CALL, YOU CAN ASK FOR ME, DOUG, ASK FOR JILL, OR ASK FOR KYLE. UM, THE THREE OF US WILL MOST, WILL BEST BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. AND BRIAN AND RICH, CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT INFORMATION IS ALSO POSTED ON THE COUNTY WEBSITE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. MM-HMM . CORRECT? YEAH. I MEAN, IF YOU JUST WANNA STOP BY AND VISIT, THAT'S COMMISSIONER CONLEY'S. CORRECT. OUR OFFICE IS ABOUT A MILE WEST OF THE HIGH SCHOOL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 1 99. UM, BE CAREFUL. IT'S HERE. THERE'S A HILL BEHIND YOU. SO IF YOU'RE TURNING IN, TURNING LEFT, JUST BE CAREFUL, UH, AND, UH, STOP BY AND YEAH, PAY ATTENTION TO OUR AGENDAS. UM, COME HERE, COME COME TO SOME OF OUR MEETINGS. MY BOARD, I THINK YOU WOULD FIND THAT MY BOARD IS VERY RECEPTIVE TO, UH, TO PEOPLE THAT, THAT COME AND HAVE CONCERNS. DOUG, SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW THE AREA THAT YOU, YOU, UH, GOVERNED. YES, SIR. COULD YOU COVER THAT? YES, SIR. SO OUR DISTRICT, WE WERE CREATED BACK IN OH SEVEN, UM, AS A RESPONSE TO PIGMENT DESIGNATION. I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO THAT, BUT OUR, OUR, OUR COUNTIES ARE HOOD, PARKER WISE AND MONTE. SO BASICALLY GRANBURY, THE RED RIVER. UM, I, I WILL SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A, A BIG TOPIC ALL AROUND THE STATE IN NORTH TEXAS. WE'VE HAD AT LEAST ONE OTHER COUNTY, UM, HAVING ME COME OVER AND TALK TO PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERING JOINING OUR DISTRICT, BECAUSE WITHOUT A GROUNDWATER DISTRICT, THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY, ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK ALL Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME, AND THANKS FOR SCHEDULING THIS. I WANNA POINT OUT ALSO, AS WE GO INTO THE, THE QUESTIONS FROM THE, THE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES THAT COME FROM THE COMMUNITY. UH, THESE QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED AS TO ANYONE THAT SPEAKS. UH, SO ANYTHING COMES TO MIND FOR DOUG, OR YOU CAN ASK THEM. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE US UP HERE. SO, [00:35:01] UH, WELL, LET US GET THROUGH THIS, IF YOU DON'T MIND. AND I PRO, I, I PROMISE YOU, I'LL GET BACK TO YOU IF WE CAN HAVE, UM, AT THIS POINT IN TIME NOW, MIKE HO OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, IF HE COULD COME UP PLEASE. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING, SIR. SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF. WE WILL SPEAK, WE CAN'T HEAR IF Y'ALL WOULD GET CLOSER TO THE SPEAKER, AND SO WE CAN ALL HEAR IT'S A PRETTY POOR ROOM IN HERE, IF YOU WOULD. TO, TO THE MIC. I'M SORRY. DOWN. YEAH, IF YOU WOULD PULL IT DOWN TO YOU SO WE CAN HEAR YOU A LITTLE BIT BETTER ON THE MIC. THANK YOU. AND I'LL LEAN FORWARD. HOW'S THIS? CAN Y'ALL THE MIC YOU A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE MIC, PLEASE? HOW'S THAT? A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT MORE. HOW'S THAT? OH, THERE WE GO. NOW I CAN HERE TOO. WE'RE OKAY. UH, . I GOT A LOUD, I MEAN, DON'T PUT YOUR LIPS ON IT. ANYTHING. UM, UH, GOOD MORNING. UM, EVERYONE, GOOD MORNING. UH, JUDGE DEAN, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. UM, AND, UM, ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF, OF THE COMMISSIONERS. UH, IT'S REALLY IS HEARTENING TO SEE, UM, ALL THESE FOLKS HERE. I'M A, A FIRM BELIEVER IN, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE DECISIONS, MAKE BETTER DECISIONS WHEN THEY, THEY'RE HEARING FROM THE PEOPLE, UH, BEING AFFECTED. UH, MY NAME IS MIKE HOKE. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS. AND, UM, SO TODAY I'M GONNA KIND, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH, HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF HOW THE ELECTRIC GRID WORKS. SO WE'RE ALL KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGE. UM, EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO AT THE PUC AND WHAT ERCOT DOES, UM, AND THEN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH THE, UM, LARGE POWER USERS LIKE DATA CENTERS, AND THEN SHARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING AND, AND WHAT THE, UM, TO HELP MANAGE THOSE ISSUES IN OUR PURVIEW. SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE GRID. SO YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, STARTS OF THE POWER PLANTS THAT GENERATE THE ELECTRICITY, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, COMANCHE, PEAK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, UM, OR A GAS PLANT DOWN ON THE COAST. UM, IT'S ALL PART OF A, A, YOU KNOW, A A CONNECTED STATEWIDE GRID. WE'RE GETTING POWER FROM, FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES ALL OVER THE STATE. THAT GENERATION, THOSE POWER PLANTS ARE DEREGULATED. THE PUC DOESN'T TELL INVESTORS WHERE TO BUILD, WHAT TO BUILD. IT'S A BUSINESS DECISION THAT THEY MAKE. UM, AND THEN YOU'VE GOTTA GET, YEAH, ONCE YOU GENERATE THE POWER, YOU'VE GOTTA GET IT TO CUSTOMERS. AND THAT STARTS WITH TRANSMISSION LINES. THESE ARE THE BIG POWER LINES, THE BIG TOWERS YOU SEE, UM, GOING ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE. AND THESE MOVE THE BULK POWER ACROSS THE STATE. AND THEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR DISTRIBUTION LINES, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBOR, NEIGHBORHOOD, CITY, YOU KNOW, POLES AND WIRES THAT CARRY ELECTRICITY, UM, DOWN TO YOUR HOME. UM, AND AROUND HERE, HERE, ENCORE IS THE, YOUR, UM, TRANSMISSION DISTRIBUTION UTILITY. THEY OPERATE THE POLES AND WIRES. UM, AND THOSE, UM, POLES AND WIRES COMPANIES ARE REGULATED BY THE PEC. THEY, WE DON'T OWN OR OPERATE THOSE POLES OR WIRES. UM, BUT, UM, BUT WE DO REGULATE THOSE UTILITIES. AND THEN FINALLY, YOU HAVE THE CUSTOMERS WHO USE THE ELECTRICITY. AND THAT'S, I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY, THESE, THESE LARGE POWER USERS, UH, LIKE DATA CENTERS. AND ONE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE GRID IS THAT IT IS AN OPEN ACCESS SYSTEM. UM, YOU KNOW, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CONNECT CAN CONNECT, UM, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF, OF WHAT THE, THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS IS. UM, HOWEVER, THE LEGISLATURE HAS GIVEN US RECENTLY SPECIFIC AUTHORITY OVER THESE LARGEST DATA, LARGEST POWER USERS LIKE DATA CENTERS. AND I'LL, I'LL GET TO THAT, UM, LATER ON. UM, AND SO THEN KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT PUC DOES AND WHAT ERCOT DOES. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, WE DON'T OWN OR OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, 200 SOME ODD FOLKS, UM, IN A, YOU KNOW, TWO FLOORS OF A OFFICE BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T, UM, DICTATE TO POWER USERS WHERE THEY ARE, OR YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS THEY RUN. UM, AND WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, CHOOSE THOSE TYPE OF CUSTOMERS. AND LIKE A LOT OF THE SPEAKERS HAVE ECHOED, UM, YOU KNOW, WE OPERATE WITHIN THE POWER THAT THE LAW GIVES US. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO STAY WITHIN THOSE FOUR CORNERS OF STATUTE. UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE POWERS BEYOND THAT. AND THEY ARE, THEY ARE FIRMLY DELINEATED THOSE POWERS THAT WE HAVE. UM, AND, UM, WE ALSO, WE OVERSEE ERCOT, UM, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT ERCOT IS. BUT YEAH, WE, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMISSIONERS SIT ON THE ERCOT BOARD. WE APPROVE THEIR BUDGET. THEY HAVE, WE HAVE TO APPROVE THEIR, THEIR, UH, OPERATING RULES, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE, WE ARE THE ONES WHO OVERSEE ERCOT. SO WHAT IS ERCOT? UM, ERCOT IS, SO, YOU KNOW, IT REFERS TO TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, REALLY. SO THERE'S THE COMPANY OF ERCOT AND THE KIND OF THE, [00:40:01] THE, THE GEOGRAPHIC ENTITY OF ERCOT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE BLESSED IN TEXAS TO HAVE A GRID AND ELECTRIC GRID AND INTERCONNECTED ELECTRIC GRID THAT ONLY SERVES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF TEXAS. IT DOESN'T COVER THE ENTIRE STATE. IT'S ABOUT 75% OF THE LANDMASS OF TEXAS. SO IN, OF EAST TEXAS, THE PANHANDLE IN EL PASO ARE NOT IN ERCOT. UM, BUT THE REST OF THE STATE IS IN ERCOT. UM, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CROSS STATE BOUNDARIES. UM, THE REGULATION OF THAT GRID, WE HAVE A LOT MORE CONTROL OVER IT HERE IN TEXAS THAN SAY OTHER, UM, OTHER GRIDS THAT GO ACROSS STATE LINES AND HAVE TO GET, GO TO THE, TO THE FEDS FOR A LOT OF, UH, A LOT, A LOT OF REGULATION OF THAT GRID. SO, UM, IT IS A, A GREAT BLESSING THAT WE HAVE HERE IN TEXAS. UM, AND WHAT ERCOT DOES OPERATIONALLY, UM, THEY ALSO DON'T OWN OR OPERATE POWER PLANTS OR POLES AND WIRES. THEY'RE GONNA BE THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER FOR THE ELECTRIC GRID. THEY MANAGE THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY, UM, ACROSS THE GRID. AND, UM, AND THEN THE BIG THING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY, DO THEY DO TRANSMISSION PLANNING? SO THE, UM, WHERE THERE'S TRAFFIC ON THE GRID, AND YOU CAN THINK OF IT LIKE A, LIKE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. UM, YOU, YOU'VE GOT THE KIND OF YOUR BIG, YOU KNOW, HIGHWAYS ARE THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND YOUR COUNTY ROADS ARE THE, ARE THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. AND SO WHAT ERCOT DOES IS LOOKS AT WHERE THERE'S TRAFFIC ON THE GRID AND FIGURES OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE'S NEED FOR, FOR MORE CAPACITY, UM, MORE POWER LINES TO CARRY THE POWER ACROSS THE STATE. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE THESE, YOU KNOW, LARGE LOADS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE CALL 'EM LARGE LOAD. A LOAD IS JUST A, A TECHNICAL TERM FOR A ELECTRICITY CUSTOMER. UM, AND THE, THE STATUTE CALLS THEM LARGE LOADS. AND REALLY, IT'S NOT JUST DATA CENTERS NECESSARILY, BUT IT'S ANY CUSTOMER WHO USES OVER 75 MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY AT, AT ANY ONE TIME, AND JUST PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, YOUR HOME PROBABLY USES, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND, YOU KNOW, KILOWATTS OR, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, AT, AT ANY ONE TIME. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND TIMES BIGGER THAN, YOU KNOW, THAN JUST YOUR HOME. UM, UM, TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE. UM, AND SO WITH THESE, THE, THE LARGE LOADS, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ERCOT, OUR PEAK DEMAND WAS 88 MEGAWATTS THAT WAS SET, THAT RECORD WAS SET IN, UM, THE SUMMER OF 2023. AND THAT'S HOW MUCH POWER WE NEEDED AT THAT ONE 15 MINUTE INTERVAL. THAT'S HOW MUCH KIND OF POWER WE NEEDED IN THAT INSTANT, NOT KIND OF HOW MUCH WE USED OVER THE WHOLE YEAR, BUT IT WAS 88 MEGAWATTS. ERCOT IS NOW LOOKING AT REQUESTS FOR CUSTOMERS TO INTERCONNECT OF ABOUT 400 MEGAWATTS. SO, YEAH, SO YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THESE PROJECTS COMING TO TEXAS. UM, THE CHALLENGE, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, UM, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT ALL OF THESE PROJECTS ARE, ARE REAL, FRANKLY. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM ARE SPECULATIVE, BUT EVEN IF YOU KNOW, A PORTION OF THOSE COME, THAT'S STILL A HUGE INCREASE IN THE ELECTRICITY DEMAND IN TEXAS. UM, THE OTHER THING IS THE SPEED OF GROWTH. YOU KNOW, FOR MOST OF THE HISTORY OF THE ELECTRIC GRID IN TEXAS, UM, SAY YOU WANTED TO BUILD A CHEMICAL PLANT ON THE COAST, THOSE, YOU KNOW, FACILITIES TAKE YEARS AND YEARS TO BUILD, WHICH THAT TIMELINE LINES UP NICELY WITH. AND OF HOW LONG IT TAKES TO PLAN A TRANSMISSION GRID AND GET LINES BUILT AND GET SUBSTATIONS BUILT. UM, THOSE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YEARS LONG TIMELINES SYNCED UP VERY QUICKLY. YOU KNOW, DATA CENTERS DON'T NEED YEARS AND YEARS TO BUILD. UM, WE'RE FINDING IT'S NOT QUITE AS FAST. IT'S NOT THE SIX MONTHS THAT WE FEARED, BUT STILL, IT, IT'S, THESE PROJECTS ARE, ARE, UH, ARE MOVED VERY QUICKLY, UM, COMPARED TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TRANSMISSION PLANNING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT ERCOT IS DOING IS LOOKING AT THE, AND HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DEMAND TO PLAN FOR, YOU KNOW, YEARS IN THE FUTURE. AND SO WE'VE GOTTA KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE, ONCE THE ELECTRICITY DEMAND IS HERE, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S TOO LATE. YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, TO, TO, TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. UM, AND SO, UM, REALLY THEY'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AS SAY THE PUC, UM, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS IS, YOU KNOW, ENSURING RELIABILITY, MAKING SURE THE GRID DOES ITS JOB, THAT IT WORKS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, FOUNDATIONAL FOR OUR CIVILIZATION. IT'S, YOU KNOW, HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL THE CITIZENS. WE FEEL THAT VERY ACUTELY. UM, AND THEN PROTECTING RATE PAYERS. UM, AND SO, UM, LAST SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE KIND OF SEEING, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUES THAT WERE COMING PAST SENATE BILL SIX, AND I'M GONNA TALK A LOT ABOUT WHAT SENATE BILL SIX DOES AND THE, THE TOOLS IT GIVES US TO MANAGE, UH, THIS GROWTH IN, IN LARGE LOADS AND DATA CENTERS. [00:45:01] UM, SO THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS FORECASTING. SO I TALKED ABOUT THAT, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH PROJECTS ARE REAL. YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS JUST OVERBUILD WILLY-NILLY. 'CAUSE THEN SOMEBODY'S GOTTA PAY FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND IF, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTENDING TO USE IT DON'T SHOW UP, THEN THAT'S A STRANDED COST, AND THAT GETS SPREAD OUT TO EVERYBODY. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY WANT TO AVOID, UM, OVERBUILDING MORE THAN THAN YOU NEED. YOU ONLY, YOU REALLY WANNA BUILD THE GRID YOU NEED. UM, AND, UM, SO WHAT SENATE BILL SIX DOES IS IT, YOU KNOW, AND OUR, AND THE RULES WE, UM, DID TO IMPLEMENT IT, AND IT LAYS OUT SPECIFIC MILESTONES THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT. SO, UM, AS A PROJECT IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH THE, THE, THE, THE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, WE GET MORE AND MORE CONFIDENT. SO WE'RE NOT GONNA START, YOU KNOW, BUILDING FOR SOMEBODY WHO JUST, YOU KNOW, HAS A PRESS RELEASE SAYING THEY'RE, THEY'RE THINKING AND COME. SO, YOU KNOW, AS, AS THE PROCESS GOES, UM, AS THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF A PROJECT GOES FORWARD TO THE SPECIFIC MILESTONES AND SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS FROM THOSE, UM, DEVELOPERS, THEN WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE PUSH, YOU KNOW, THEY GET PUSHED ALONG IN THE, UM, IN THE TRANSMISSION PLANNING PROCESS AND THAT FORECASTING PROCESS AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, AVOID OVERBUILD. UM, THE BIG ONE IS, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, NOT WANTING, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF THESE PROJECTS TO FALL ON, ON RATE PAYERS. AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, HEARING FROM, UM, OTHER STATES AND OTHER REGIONS, UH, THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, SENATE BILL SIX GIVES US SOME PRETTY POWERFUL TOOLS TO, TO MINIMIZE THAT. UM, GENERALLY THE, THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OPERATES WHENEVER WE'RE SETTING RATES ON A PRINCIPLE OF COST CAUSATION. YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE KIND OF A, A BUSINESS OR A TYPE OF BUSINESS THAT, YOU KNOW, CAUSES ALL THESE COSTS TO HAPPEN, YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO PAY FOR THAT. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S FAIRNESS, IT'S ALSO GOOD ECONOMICS. YOU'RE SENDING THE RIGHT SIGNALS. UM, AND SO WHAT CEX BILL SIX DOES, AND, AND THE RULES WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PASSING NOW IS CLEARLY IF YOU NEED TO BUILD A LINE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE DATA CENTER TO A SUBSTATION, AGAIN, IF YOU'RE BUILDING THE DRIVEWAY, UM, YOU KNOW, OFF OF THAT, UM, FACILITY THAT'S CLEARLY GOTTA BE PAID FOR BY THE, BY THE DATA CENTER DEVELOPER AND ANY OF THE DISTRIBUTION, UM, INTERCONNECTIONS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA COUNTY ROADS GETTING, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY TO THAT FACILITY THAT, THAT, THAT'S A PRETTY, PRETTY EASY CUT. UM, BUT THEN ALSO LOOKING AT THE TRANSMISSION BUILD OUT. SO, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT LIKE A FACTORY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE BUILDING A, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE TO EXPAND A HIGHWAY THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ON, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT COUNTY OVER, MAKING SURE THAT, THAT THOSE COSTS ARE ALSO APP PORTIONED TO THAT, THAT DATA CENTER, UM, CUSTOMER AND MAKING SURE IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, UM, SPREAD OUT TO ALL OR EVERYONE. SO MAKING SURE THAT ON THE, WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING OUT THE TRANSMISSION NETWORK, THAT KIND OF HIGHWAYS THAT, UM, THOSE CUSTOMERS, UM, UH, PAY FOR THAT AS WELL. AND THEN ALSO GOING FORWARD, UM, AND HOW YOU CALCULATE KIND OF THE ONGOING COSTS, UM, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THE ONGOING SHARE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE KINDA ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ARE ALSO BEING PAID BY THE, BY THE, BY THE PEOPLE WHO CAUSED THOSE, THOSE COSTS. UM, ANOTHER THING, YEAH, THAT WAS A BIG CONCERN OF THE LEGISLATURE EXPRESSED IN SENATE BILL SIX WAS, UM, DATA CENTERS BUILDING AT THE SAME SITE OF AN EXISTING POWER PLANT. UM, AND THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS TAKE MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY AWAY FROM CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE NEED IT. UM, AND SO, AND ESPECIALLY OF OUR EXISTING FLEET, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE NEED ALL THE MEGAWATTS WE CAN GET, WE DON'T NEED LESS, RIGHT? UM, AND SO, UM, THAT'S A PROCESS CALLED NET METERING AND HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY THEN THAT POWER PLANT USES ON SITE FOR THAT DATA CENTER AND HOW MUCH THEY EXPORT. AND SO FOR THOSE EXISTING POWER PLANTS, UM, THOSE DATA CENTERS NEED TO ACTUALLY COME TO US FOR A SPECIFIC, UM, UM, APPROVAL OF THAT NET METERING ARRANGEMENT AND HOW THEY'RE GONNA, UM, CALCULATE, UM, THE ELECTRICITY THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SELL BACK ON THE GRID. AND, AND ONE THING THAT ALSO INCLUDES IS, UM, GIVING, YOU KNOW, THE ERCOT CONTROL ROOM KIND OF OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF THAT DATA CENTER, IF THERE IS A TIME WHERE THE LARGER GRID NEEDS THAT POWER, ERCOT CAN JUST CALL THAT POWER, UM, FROM THAT POWER PLANT WITHOUT KIND OF HAVING TO GET EVEN APPROVAL FROM, FROM THE DATA CENTER DEVELOPER THAT'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, PRE-APPROVED. UM, SO YEAH, AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR EXISTING, UM, UH, ELECTRIC GENERATION FLEET. UM, AND THEN ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, REQUIRING THESE LARGE DATA CENTER, UM, USERS TO PARTICIPATE WHAT WE CALL THE EMERGENCY [00:50:01] DEMAND RESPONSE. THERE'S ALREADY A PROGRAM, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF IT, IT'S AN EMERGENCY CONDITION, THE GRID GETS REALLY TIGHT, IT'S A REALLY HOT DAY OR A REALLY COLD DAY, UM, ERCOT CAN GO INTO CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, ELECTRIC CUSTOMERS AND SAY, YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, PULL BACK YOUR POWER USAGE. UM, AND IT'S, BEFORE IT WAS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM. IF YOU HAD, YOU KNOW, A STEEL MILL AND YOU COULD POWER DOWN, THEN YOU WOULD ARRANGE THAT WITH ERCOT. UM, BUT THESE, I IF I DON'T I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU. WE CAN KIND OF, OH, YEAH. SO YEAH, YEAH. TO THE HIGHLIGHTS, JUST SO WE CAN WRAP, WE, WE GOT, THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY, THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY LAST POINT. SORRY. SORRY JUDGE. NO, NO, NO. THANK YOU FOR COMING. I'M JUST TRYING TO CONTROL THE TIME THAT WE HERE. NO, NO, PLEASE. I KNOW EVERYBODY'S TAKING TIME OUTTA THEIR DAY. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ANYONE HAS FOR MIKE FROM THE COURT? OKAY, THANK YOU, MIKE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. HOPE, REAL QUICK. SORRY. OH, YES SIR. YES SIR. I WANTED TO ASK JUST REAL QUICKLY, 'CAUSE YOU HIT ON IT JUST A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHO EVALUATES? IS IT, IS IT ERCOT THAT THEY ACTUALLY SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO THAT ACTUALLY WILL DETERMINE, UH, IF THAT NEW SERVICE CAN GO ONTO THE GRID? SO, YEAH, AND EVEN EVEN CALL IT KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REALLY EVEN LIKE A PERMIT OR AN APPLICATION, SO IT'S JUST ERCOT FIGURING OUT HOW TO INTERCONNECT THAT CUSTOMER. SO IT'S NOT REALLY A QUESTION OF WHETHER TO INTERCONNECT THAT CUSTOMER, IT'S HOW, AND THEN WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES WOULD BE NEEDED, UM, TO, TO INTERCONNECT. SO, BUT YEAH, SO, UM, WELL, YES, I MEAN, IT IS, IT'S ERCOT WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH, WITH ENCORE, WITH THE LOCAL TRANSMISSION DISTRIBUTION SERVICE PROVIDER, UM, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, WITH THE, THE COMPANY THEMSELVES. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, ERCOT, ENCORE AND THE COMPANY. UM, OKAY. YEAH. MR. HOKE, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU. YES, SIR. YOU, THE FIRST QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY OR AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE THAT IF A DATA CENTER DOES GO IN, THEY PAY FOR THEIR OWN POWER, INCLUDING THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS? IN OTHER WORDS, IF THERE'S A BUILD OUT REQUIRED, RIGHT. WE DO NOT WANT THAT BURDEN PUT ON THE REGULAR TAXPAYER. IS THERE THE ABILITY TO REQUIRE THAT? SO, LIEUTENANT, OKAY, SO YOU GOT TWO PARTS TO THAT QUESTION. THERE'S, THERE'S THE, THE TRANSMISSION BUILD OUT, BUILDING OUT THE POLES AND WIRES TO DELIVER THE ELECTRICITY. AND THAT'S, THERE'S ALL THE KINDA, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UM, COST AND THAT, THE OTHER THING IS THE, OH, SORRY, IS ON THE, YOU'RE KIND OF REFERRED TO THE KIND OF THE POWER PLANT SIDE OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, SO A LOT OF THESE ARE BEING BUILT WHERE IT'S, YOU KNOW, BRING YOUR OWN POWER, UM, OR THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, BEING BUILT, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, WITH, UM, A, A POWER PLANT. UM, HOW'S THAT, SORRY. UM, I'M TOO TALL, I GOTTA CROUCH DOWN. UM, AND SO THERE'S NOT, THE, THE PC DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO REQUIRE THEM TO BRING THEIR OWN POWER, YOU KNOW, TO BRING THEIR OWN POWER PLANT. UM, AND THEN THE, THE TRANSMISSION, THE, THE, THE POLES AND WIRES CONNECTING THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IN THESE, UM, PROVISIONS TO, UM, TO PREVENT THOSE COSTS AND BEING SPREAD TO, TO THE RATE PAYERS. OKAY. SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN BATCH PROCESSING PROCESS THAT GOES ON AT ? UM, SORRY, JUDGE DEAN . I, I'LL, I'LL TRY TO DO THIS FAST, BUT IT IS, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, IN THE OLD WAYS OF, OF PLANNING, YOU KNOW, TRANSMISSION, YOU'D JUST HAVE KIND OF A, A STEADY STREAM OF, OF PROJECTS AND, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS HERE, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, A FACTORY HERE OR THERE. UM, AND YOU COULD, UM, AND YOU KNOW, YOU COULD KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PLAN FOR THAT REALLY SMOOTH. BUT WHEN YOU GET THESE, YOU KNOW, DATA CENTERS THAT ARE A LOT OF POWER ALL AT ONCE IN ONE LOCATION, THAT, UM, IS CHALLENGING TO PLAN AROUND. AND THEN ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE GOT THE PROBLEM ARISES, IS WHEN YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE IN AN AREA. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, ONE DATA CENTER IS GONNA REALLY AFFECT THE, THE GRID THERE. UM, AND YOU, WE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE USED TO DO IS WE'D STUDY THAT, WE'D STUDY THAT, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'D BE ANOTHER DATA CENTER OR OTHER LARGE USER WOULD COME ALONG AND SAY, OH, I WANNA BUILD IN THE SAME REGION. AND BE LIKE, WELL, THEN WE HAVE TO PAUSE THAT FIRST ONE. 'CAUSE NOW WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE FIRST ONE PLUS THE SECOND ONE, AND YOU'D START OVER AGAIN. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WASN'T WORKING TO, THAT'S NO WAY TO PLAN A GRID. YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, WE WERE NOT GETTING THE ANSWERS WE NEEDED. AND SO, UM, SO WHAT WE ARE MOVING TO, AND AS A ERCOT, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF ERCOT US, THE STATE IN GENERAL IS A BATCH PROCESS WHERE EVERY SIX MONTHS, UM, WE'LL BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKE, YOU KNOW, SEE WHO'S APPLIED OR YOU KNOW, WHO'S KIND OF SUBMITTED AN INTERCONNECTION REQUEST AND LOOK AT THOSE IN A BATCH. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT 'EM ALL TOGETHER. THERE'S KIND OF A FINITE TIMELINE AT EVERY SIX MONTHS WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT A BATCH OF THESE AND PLANNING THEM ALL TOGETHER SO WE CAN LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY WAS THAT, AND NOT JUST ONE-OFFS. SO THAT, THAT'S, [00:55:01] THAT'S THE BATCH PROCESS. THANK YOU. I, I HAD A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS, SIR. I WASN'T FINISHED BEFORE HULK GOT ANXIOUS AND JUMPED IN. SORRY ABOUT THAT. IT'S ALL RIGHT. MY, MY SECOND QUESTION WAS BASICALLY REGARDING THESE BATCHES. YES, SIR. AND THE OTHER CONCERN THAT I HAVE ARE, I, I FEEL LIKE FROM MY, FROM CONVERSATIONS AND RESEARCH AND SPEAKING TO INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOURSELF, THESE DEVELOPERS ARE OUT THERE PLAYING AN ODDS GAME, TRYING TO BEAT SESSION IN AUSTIN NEXT YEAR. 'CAUSE THEY GO, THEY GO DOWN THERE TO DO THE LAWS EVERY TWO YEARS. SO IN THESE BATCHES, ARE Y'ALL ABLE TO DO THE STUDIES AND, AND KIND OF SEPARATE A DEVELOPER THAT'S THROWING A BUNCH OF APPLICATIONS, TRYING TO PLAY THE ODDS AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT ONE USER, BUT POSSIBLY FOUR LOCATIONS, I'M GONNA THROW FOUR APPLICATIONS IN HERE AND SEE IF I CAN POSSIBLY GET A PERMIT. NO, THAT YES IS THE, THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE REQUIRED TO TELL US IS NOT JUST SPECIFIC TO THIS ONE SITE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE OTHER SITES THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND THAT YOU'RE SUBMITTED INTERCONNECTION REQUEST, UM, YEAH, UNDERSTANDING. YEAH. THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IN, IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THESE THINGS, IT'S VERY SPECULATIVE. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S AGAIN, WHAT'S REAL, WHAT'S REALLY COMING AND, AND YEAH, EXACTLY. AND, AND, AND WORKING AROUND THAT. BUT, AND THEN, YEAH, AND THEN TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, TRY TO REMOVE ANY GAMESMANSHIP OF, UH, OF THAT. SO YEAH, THAT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT'S, I ASSUMED IT WAS, BUT I, NO, IT'S, IT, IT'S WORTH STRESSING. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I ALSO, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING UP FROM AUSTIN TO ADDRESS EVERYBODY HERE, ONE OF THE FEW ENTITIES THAT ACTUALLY RESPONDED TO OUR REQUEST TO COME UP HERE AND ANSWER. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER QUESTIONS, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HEY, ANY CHANCE I CAN GET TO COME TO WEATHERFORD? I'M, HEY, I'LL JUMP AT IT. . THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. UH, A COUPLE THINGS BEFORE WE GET TO THE, UH, COMMENTS, AND WE'RE GONNA MOVE QUICKLY ON THIS, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT. ONE THING IS THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR, UH, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR LEGISLATORS. UH, WE HAVE SOME GOOD ONES HERE. UH, THERE IS A REPRESENTATIVE HERE FROM REPRESENTATIVE FROM DISTRICT 60, MIKE OTT, WHO'S BEEN THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL AMANDA, AMANDA TO COME UP HERE. DO YOU HAVE A, THERE'S A STATEMENT THAT, UH, IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, I HAVE IT HERE. I'D LIKE TO READ IT OR I CAN READ IT. UH, EITHER ONE. BUT SHE, SHE CAME ALL THE WAY. SO YOU HAVE THIS LETTER? CORRECT. OKAY. AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE GOOD RELATIONS IN THE ATTENTION OF OUR LEGISLATORS, WHICH HELPS US AND WHAT WE'RE DOING AS CITIES, AS COUNTIES, THROUGHOUT THIS STATE. AND SO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS. AGAIN. THIS IS, AND I WANNA POINT OUT ALSO, MY, UH, OTT IS, UH, HAS A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, UH, WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE, BUT VERY IMPORTANT THAT HE IS REPRESENTED HERE. THANK YOU. YOU MAY PROCEED. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. MY NAME'S AMANDA GARNER. I AM THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR FOR REPRESENTATIVE MIKE OLCOTT. REPRESENTATIVE OLCOTT, SINCE YOU CAN'T HEAR, IS THAT BETTER? OKAY. OKAY. HOW'S THIS? IS THIS GOOD? YES. . MY NAME IS AMANDA GARNER AND I AM THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR FOR REPRESENTATIVE MIKE OLCOTT. REPRESENTATIVE OTT SINCERELY REGRETS THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO BE HERE TODAY. HE HAD A MEDICAL APPOINTMENT THAT WAS SCHEDULED MONTHS AGO AND IT COULD NOT BE RESCHEDULED. I WILL BE READING HIS STATEMENT ON HIS BEHALF. I FIRST WANT TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL OF THE THOUGHTFUL AND INSIGHTFUL CALLS AND EMAILS OUR OFFICE HAS RECEIVED REGARDING DATA CENTERS IN OUR DISTRICT. YOUR INPUT HAS HELPED ME BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE AS A WHOLE AND HOW IT AFFECTS EACH ONE OF YOU. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. AS I ATTEMPT TO THOUGHTFULLY APPROACH THIS ISSUE, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I SHARE YOUR CONCERNS AND I WILL DO ALL I CAN TO DELAY THE DEVELOPMENT OF DATA CENTERS IN OUR DISTRICT, TELL LAWMAKERS RETURN NEXT SESSION, AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROPERLY DRAFT LEGISLATION THAT PROTECTS ALL TEXANS FROM THE SCENE AND UNFORESEEN HARMS THAT THESE CENTERS COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE. TECHNOLOGY TENDS TO OUTPACE REGULATIONS. AND WHILE I AM OPPOSED TO OVERREGULATION BY THE GOVERNMENT, I'M ALSO OPPOSED TO TRAMPLING THE RIGHTS OF OUR CITIZENS AND COMPROMISING OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND OUR ACCESS TO ADEQUATE AND AFFORDABLE RESOURCES LIKE WATER AND ENERGY. THE FACT IS, WE DO NOT KNOW THE FULL IMPACT THAT DATA CENTERS WILL HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITY. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH POWER AND WATER THE DATA CENTERS, DATA CENTERS WILL CONSUME, OR HOW THAT CONSUMPTION WILL AFFECT OUR ALREADY COSTLY WATER AND ENERGY BILLS. ONE THING I DO KNOW WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY IS THAT WE HAVE A WATER SHORTAGE IN HOUSE DISTRICT 60. SIMPLY PUT, WE DON'T HAVE THE WATER TO SPARE. IN REGARD TO ELECTRICITY, TEXAS ALREADY HAS A STRAINED ELECTRIC GRID. [01:00:01] THE VAST MAJORITY OF US CHOSE PARKER COUNTY BECAUSE OF THE PASTORAL LANDSCAPES, THE SMALL TOWN CULTURE, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CARVE OUT OUR OWN LITTLE PIECE OF INDEPENDENCE OUTSIDE OF A NOISY AND CONGESTED BIG CITY. AND WHILE I KNOW THAT GROWTH AND CHANGE ARE UNAVOIDABLE FACTS OF LIFE, MY JOB IS TO REPRESENT YOU. AND YOU DESERVE REPRESENTATION THAT PUTS YOUR NEEDS AND DESIRES FIRST BEFORE THE DESIRES OF AUSTIN, BEFORE THE DESIRES OF WASHINGTON DC OR HUGE CORPORATIONS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT OUR COUNTY OR THE THINGS WE VALUE. IN THE MEANTIME, I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO CONSIDER FORMING A SUB-REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION UNDER TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT. CODE 3 91 A 3 91 PLANNING COMMISSION INCLUDES ONE PROVISION PROVISION FOUND IN SECTION 3 91 0.009 C CALLED COORDINATION. THIS GIVES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THE ABILITY TO DEMAND STATE AGENCIES COORDINATE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT FEASIBLE. THIS MEANS THAT STATE AGENCIES MUST MAKE THEIR STATE PLANS AND POLICIES CONSISTENT WITH OUR LOCAL PLANS AND POLICIES GIVING US OR YOU THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELFARE OF OUR CITIZENS. ONCE FORMED, I RECOMMEND INCLUDING DOUG SHAW AS THE ADVISOR TO THE 3 91 COMMISSION. DOUG IS ONE OF THE PREMIER EXPERTS ON WATER CONSERVATION IN NORTH TEXAS, AND IS THE GENERAL MANAGER FOR THE UPPER TRINITY WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT WHO CAN HELP DRAFT PLANS AND POLICIES TO PROTECT THE GROUNDWATER WITHIN YOUR THREE, WITHIN OUR 3 91 JURISDICTION. FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO HOST THIS MEETING TODAY AND ALLOW THE CITIZENS OF PARKER COUNTY THE CHANCE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS. I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME, AND I KNOW WE HAVE THE SPIRIT AND TALENT WITHIN THIS ROOM AND WITHIN THIS COUNTY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, COMMISSIONERS. WE'RE WHAT WE HAVE. WHAT I'D LIKE TO COVER ON THE NEXT ONE, AND, AND WE'VE MADE ABOUT 150 COPIES AND HOPEFULLY MOST OF Y'ALL HAVE IT. IF YOU DON'T, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA WORK ON TRYING TO GET YOU A COPY OF IT, UH, IS A RESOLUTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO, I'M GONNA READ THIS AND I APOLOGIZE. IT'S A LITTLE LENGTHY, BUT I'M GONNA GO QUICK. UH, AND THEN AFTER THIS, AFTER WE DO THIS, THEN WE WE'RE GONNA OPEN UP THIS FOR QUESTIONS. SO THANK YOU FOR THOSE WITH STANDING, UH, AND BEARING WITH US. THIS IS A PRETTY LENGTHY, UH, AGENDA FOR US TO TRY TO GIVE YOU AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN BEFORE YOU SPEAK. HOPEFULLY ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS BEFORE YOU SPEAK ON THE RESOLUTION ON A CALLING FOR AN ENHANCED REGULATION OF DATA CENTERS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. WHEREAS PARKER COUNTY SUPPORTS RESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECOGNIZES THE EVENTS TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING DATA CENTERS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FACILITIES WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN TEXAS FUTURE ECONOMY. AND WHEREAS HOPPER SCALE COMPUTING FACILITIES WILL REQUIRE EXTRAORDINARY LEVELS OF ELECTRIC GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION CAPACITY AND RAPID LOAD GROWTH WITHOUT ADEQUATE PLANNING COULD REPLACE, COULD PLACE ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON THE ERCOT GRID AND LOCAL TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE. WHEREAS CERTAIN DATA CENTER COOLING TECHNOLOGIES CAN REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT VOLUMES OF WATER. AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES DESERVE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING PROJECT WATER DEMAND AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON REGIONAL WATER SUPPLIES. AND WHEREAS LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH SIGNIFICANT POWER OF WATER DEMANDS MAY HAVE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACTS ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, AND LONG TERM LAND USE PLANNING. AND WHEREAS TEXAS COUNTIES OFTEN LACK OF REGULATORY TOOLS AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITIES DESPITE BEING INCREASINGLY TARGETED FOR LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIAL AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT. AND WHEREAS THE PACE OF DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION HAS EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WHEREAS DATA CENTERS CONSTITUTE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNDERPINNING PENDING MODEM COMMERCE, HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION, FINANCIAL SYSTEMS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT, CLOUD COMPUTING, CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE CAPABILITIES. AND WHEREAS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED DATA INFRASTRUCTURE IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND NATIONAL SECURITY POSTURE IN INCREASING OF GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS EMERGED AS A NATIONAL LEADER IN ATTRACTING DATA CENTER INVESTMENT DUE TO ITS BUSINESS FRIENDLY CLIMATE AND ENERGY RESOURCES. WHEREAS RESPONSIBLE LONG-TERM PLANNING IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH OCCURS IN A MANNER THAT PROTECTS GRID RELIABILITY, WATER SUSTAINABILITY, FISCAL INTEGRITY, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF EXISTING RESIDENTS. AND WHEREAS LOCAL CONCERNS HAVE EMERGED IN PARKER COUNTY REGARDING THE POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACTS OF LARGE SCALE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENTS OF SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, CONSUMER UTILITY COSTS, LAND USE CAPABILITY AND STRAIN ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES. AND WHEREAS THE STATE OF TEXAS ELECTRICAL GRID [01:05:01] MANAGED BY THE ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS, ERCOT IS EXPERIENCING RAPIDLY INCREASING DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY. AND WHEREAS PROJECTIONS INDICATE THAT WITHOUT EXPANDED GENERATION CAPABILITY, TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE AND RELIABILITY SAFEGUARDS, TEXAS COULD FACE SUBSTANTIAL SHORTFALLS IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION AND GRID RELIABILITY OVER THE COMING DECADE, INCREASING THE RISK OF SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS ON A HIGHER COST FOR RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCIAL CONSUMERS. AND WHEREAS RAPID INCREASES IN LARGE CONTINUOUS LOAD ELECTRICITY DEMAND ATTRIBUTE TO HYPERSCALE AND SIMILAR DATA CENTER FOR FACILITIES RACE IMPORTANT RELIABILITY PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS, PARTICULARLY DURING PEAK SUMMER DEMAND AND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS. AND WHEREAS TEXAS SPACES REQUIRING RECURRING DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND ONGOING WATER SUPPLY CHALLENGES IN MANY REGIONS OF THE STATE IMPACTING MUNICIPAL, AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER USERS. AND WHEREAS CERTAIN DATA CENTER COOLING TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING OPEN LOOP COOP, EVAPORATIVE SYSTEMS MAY REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL VOLUMES OF POTABLE WATER. AND CUMULATIVE REGIONAL DEMAND ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE FACILITIES COULD MATERIALLY AFFECT LOCAL WATER AVAILABILITY, PARTICULARLY IN A DROUGHT PRONE AREA. AND WHEREAS CURRENT STATE LEVEL REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS PROVIDE LIMITED UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPARENT REPORTING OF PROJECT ELECTRICITY DEMAND AND WATER CONSUMPTION ASSOCIATED WITH PROPOSED DATA CENTER FACILITIES. AND WHEREAS COUNTIES HAVE LIMITED STATUTORY AUTHORITY OVER ELECTRIC GENERATION REGULATION, ELECTRIC GRID OVERSIGHT AND WATER RESOURCES, YET BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE INTEGRITY, AND NATIONAL RESOURCES WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTION. AND WHEREAS UNDER CURRENT TEXAS LAW COUNTIES DO NOT POSSESS GENERAL ZONING AUTHORITY AND ARE NOT GRANTED BROAD LAND USE REGULATORY POWERS COMPARABLE TO THOSE MUNICIPALITIES, THEREBY LIMITING THE ABILITY OF COUNTIES TO REGULATE THE LOCATION, DENSITY AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS DATA CENTERS WITHIN UNINCORPORATED AREAS. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PARKER COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, THAT SECTION ONE POSITION OF THE COURT, THE COMMISSIONER'S, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT SUPPORTS RESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. HOWEVER, THE COURT FORMERLY EXPRESSES OPPOSITION TO THE USE OF OPEN LOOP EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEMS OR OTHER HIGH VOLUME POTABLE WATER CONSUMPTION TECHNOLOGIES IN LARGE SCALE DATA CENTER FACILITIES WITHIN PARKER COUNTY AND OTHER WATER CONSTRAINED REGIONS. THE COURT FURTHER OPPOSES ANY DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT THAT FAILS TO INCORPORATE ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS TO PROTECT COUNTY RESOURCES AND EXISTING RESIDENTS. THE COURT FURTHER STATES THAT SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS SHOULD BE CONDITIONED UPON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPREHENSIVE ENFORCEABLE SAFEGUARDS TO ONE, PROTECT ELECTRIC GRID RELIABILITY AND AND PREVENT COST BURDENS ON RESIDENTIAL, AGRICULTURAL, AND SMALL BUSINESS RATE PAYERS. TWO, ENSURE RESPONSIBLE, SUSTAINABLE AND TRANSPARENT WATER USE PRACTICES PROTECT AGRICULTURAL LAND RANGE LANDS, WILDLIFE HABITATS AND NATURAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS BY REQUIRING CAREFUL SITE SELECTION, AVOIDANCE OF PRIME FARMLAND AND ECOLOGICAL SENSITIVE AREAS, WHEREAS PRACTICAL AND APPROPRIATE MITIGATION OF HABITAT FRAGMENTATION AND STORMWATER IMPACTS FOR PREVENT DEGRADATION OF COUNTY ROADS, DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, AND OTHER PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE. FIVE, SAFEGUARD COMMUNITY WELFARE, PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. ON SECTION TWO, POLICY ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND OF TAX ABATEMENTS AT THE PARKER COUNTY COMMISSION'S COURT HEREBY ESTABLISHES AN OFFICIAL POLICY OF PARKER COUNTY THAT THE COUNTY SHALL NOT APPROVE GRANT OR EXECUTE ANY PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS CHAPTER THREE 12 ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS OR ANY OTHER COUNTY LEVEL TAX INCENTIVES FOR ANY PROPOSED RESISTING LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS, HYPER SCALE COMPUTING FACILITIES, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DATA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF PARKER COUNTY. THIS POLICY REFLECTS THE COURT'S DETERMINATION THAT SUCH CAPITAL INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENTS WHILE CONSUMING SIGNIFICANT GRID WATER AND LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES DO NOT CREATE A PROPORTIONAL NUMBER OF PERMANENT LOCAL JOBS OR SUFFICIENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS TO JUSTIFY THE SUBSIDIZATION OF THEIR TAX BURDEN AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PARKER COUNTY TAX PAYERS. SECTION THREE, TRANSPARENCY REPORTING. THE COURT URGES THE STATE OF TEXAS IN RELEVANT REG REGULATORY AGENCIES TO REQUIRE FULL AND TRANSPARENT PUBLIC REPORTING OF ANTICIPATED ELECTRICAL DEMAND, WATER USAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS FOR ALL PROPOSED DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENTS PRIOR TO FINAL APPROVAL. SECTION FOUR, NO FURTHER DATA PROJECTS SHOULD PROCEED WITHOUT A, A RIGOROUS INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ON ERCOT GRID RELIABILITY AND TRANSMISSION CAP CAPACITY IMPACTS ON REGIONAL WATER AVAILABILITY AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY [01:10:01] PLANNING. THREE IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURAL LAND RANGELANDS, WILDLIFE HABITATS AND NATURAL DRAINAGE PATTERNS AND POTENTIAL HABITAT FRAGMENTATION, INCLUDING EFFECTS ON PRIME FARMLAND, SOIL INTEGRITY, AND STORMWATER RUNOFF FOR LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURE BORN BY TAXPAYERS. NUMBER FIVE EFFECTS ON SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL COMMERCIAL LAND USE. SECTION FIVE, RESOURCES SUSTAIN SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS ACCORDING ENCOURAGES ADOPTION OF STATEWIDE PLANNING AND REGULATORY STANDARDS, PRIORITIZING SUSTAINABILITY INCLUDING ITEM ONE, INTEGRATION OF WATER EFFICIENT OR CLOSED LOOP COOLING TECHNOLOGIES. TWO, UTILIZATION OF RECLAIMED RECYCLED OR NON POTABLE WATER SOURCES WERE FEASIBLE. THREE. DEMAND RESPONSIBLE PARTICIPATION AND LOAD MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS TO PROTECT THE GRID STABILITY. SECTION SIX, LEGISLATIVE ACTION REQUESTED THE PARKER COUNTY COMMISSION SCORE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED, THE GOVERNMENT, THE GOVERNOR, AND TEXAS LEGISLATURE NUMBER ONE, EXAMINED POLICY OPTIONS THAT WOULD IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING PROJECTED ELECTRICITY, DEMAND AND WATER USAGES OF LARGE SCALE COMPUTING FACILITIES TO DESIGNATE THIS MATTER AS AN INTERIM STUDY. PRIMARY APPROPRIATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES TO EVALUATE GRID RELIABILITY, WATER CONSUMPTION, LOCAL AUTHORITY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS AND FISCAL IMPLICATIONS. AND NUMBER THREE, EVALUATE WAYS TO ENSURE COORDINATION WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WITH LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS MAY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY SERVICES, AND NATURAL RESOURCES. AND FOUR, CONSIDER WHETHER COUNTIES SHOULD BE GRANTED LIMITED TOOLS TO ASSESS INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERSCALE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS. AND FIVE, CONSIDER IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT TIMELY ACTION INCLUSION OF THIS ISSUE ON THE CAUSE OF SPECIAL SESSION OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE TO ADDRESS URGENT RELIABILITY, WATER SUPPLY, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL CONCERNS. NUMBER SIX, ENACT LEGISLATION PROVIDING COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION AND AUTHORITY IN LAND USE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND RESOURCE IMPACT REVIEW RELATED TO LARGE SCALE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDING SECTION SEVEN. COPIES OF THIS RESOLUTION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR ABBOTT. DAN PATRICK, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PHIL KING, STATE SENATOR BRENT HOBA. THE STATE, STATE SENATOR MIKE KOTT, TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE, THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS, THE, THE TEXAS COMMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, THE AL RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, AND APPROPRIATE REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BODIES. I WOULD ASK FOR A MOTION JUDGE. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION AS YOU READ IT. SECOND. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WALDEN, A SECOND BY CONY COMMISSIONER CONLEY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT A POINT I WANT TO ASK. SURE. ON THIS DISTRIBUTION LIST ON THE BACK, CAN WE ADD THE, THE ENTITIES, ENCORE AND OTHER ENTITIES LIKE THAT? I WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO BE ADDED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS RESOLUTION. RIGHT. BECAUSE WE, WE HAD INVITED THEM AND I KNOW I GOT AN EMAIL YESTERDAY FROM AN ENCO REPRESENTATIVE. I BELIEVE THAT THEY DECLINED, THEY RESPECTFULLY DECLINED TO, TO COME ADDRESS US TODAY. SO I WOULD LIKE FOR THOSE FOLKS TO BE ADDED TO DISTRIBUTION JUDGE, I WOULD ASK THAT MY MOTION TO INCLUDE DISTRIBUTION TO ANYONE THAT WE DEEM, UH, NECESSARY OR ANYONE THAT WE THINK COULD HELP US IN GETTING OUR MESSAGE OUT. OKAY. RIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? CARRIES FIVE VOTE. THANK YOU. OKAY. FOR THOSE OF YOU STANDING UP, UH, WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU THERE AT THE PODIUM IS A LIST. IF YOU WOULD, WHEN YOU COME UP, IF YOU WOULD JUST WRITE YOUR NAME ON IT, UH, AS MANY OF YOU'RE HERE, WE'LL PROBABLY WRITE OUT HELP IF YOU NEED MORE ROOM. UH, BUT, UH, THE FIRST ONE IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK AND STATE YOUR NAME PLEASE. ARE YOU GONNA TIMELINE PROCEDURE? OH YES. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES IF YOU WOULD TO KEEP THAT IF YOU CAN. THANK YOU, JUDGE. TWO MINUTES. MY NAME IS ROBERT BROWER. I'M A RESIDENT PRECINCT. IF YOU WOULD, DON'T KISS IT, BUT GET CLOSE TO THE MIC. , THERE YOU GO. MY NAME IS ROBERT BROWER. I'M A RESIDENT OF PRECINCT FOUR. UH, I'M INVESTED IN PARKER COUNTY. I STILL OWN NATIVE GRASSLAND THAT MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS BOUGHT IN 1896. AND FOR 24 YEARS, I ADVISED AND REPRESENTED THE TARRANT COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR 24 YEARS. I ADVISED AND REPRESENTED THE TARRANT COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT. AND YOU HAVE ABLE COUNSEL. I'M, I'M NOT HERE TO DO THAT. I HAVE AN OBSERVATION I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE. UM, SOMETIMES DOING THE RIGHT THING INVOLVES [01:15:01] RISK AND SOMETIMES EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION. THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED THIS COMMISSION, THIS COMMISSION'S COURT INTO OFFICE MAY INVOLVE THE RISK OF A LAWSUIT. DOING THE RIGHT THING SOMETIMES INVOLVES RISK. AND IN THREE WEEKS WE WILL CELEBRATE THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS COUNTRY AND THE GENERATION THAT FOUNDED THIS COUNTRY. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE GENERATION THAT DID THAT BECAUSE THEY FACED RISK FAR GREATER THAN A LAWSUIT. AMEN. AND I WOULD ASK THAT THIS COMMISSIONER'S COURT GOVERN US NOT FROM A POSITION OF FEAR OR FEAR OF A LAWSUIT BECAUSE SOMETIMES DOING THE RIGHT THING INVOLVES THAT RISK. WE DON'T LIVE A RISK-FREE EXISTENCE. AND I WOULD ASK THIS COURT TO CONSIDER THAT AND NOT MAKE ITS DECISIONS BASED ON FEAR OF LITIGATION. BE LITIGATION AVERSE. 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT WHY YOU'RE PUT INTO OFFICE. THANK YOU. YOU WOULD STATE YOUR NAME, PLEASE. LYNN BABER. UH, THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT VERY, VERY QUICKLY, FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OBEYING THE LAWS AND UH, THE BIBLICAL BIBLE EVEN SAYS OBEYING THE LAWS, BUT GUESS WHAT? IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF THE CONSTITUTION, THE PEOPLE ARE CAESAR. SO IT IS THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WHO HAVE THE POWER AND THE OBLIGATION TO STEP UP. SO THANKS GUYS FOR BEING HERE. OKAY. SO AS OF TODAY, THERE IS NO PUBLIC FACING EVIDENCE OF A DATA CENTER PROJECT IN PARKER COUNTY. THERE IS HOWEVER, A PROBLEM IN AUSTIN THAT THREATENS EVERY TEXAN. SO A QUESTION I HAVE. HOW CAN A COMPANY WHO INCORPORATED IN APRIL OF 2024, WHICH IS FORT WORTH POWER COURT, LLC, WHICH HAS THE ONLY FILED PERMIT ON THE PEARSON ROAD LOCATION, HOW CAN THEY HAVE A CONSTRUCTION PERMIT ISSUED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS WHEN IT WITHIN 52 DAYS? NOW ADDITIONALLY FOR THEY HAVE 14, THEY CURRENTLY HAVE 14 CONSTRUCTION PERMITS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHICH INCLUDES THE ONE IN PARKER COUNTY, THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT. THIS IS A PERMIT TO BUILD AN ENERGY PLANT THAT PEOPLE AROUND IT ARE GONNA BE AFFECTED BY THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR TARRANT SIEMENS. PROJECT NUMBER TWO TOOK ONE BUSINESS DAY BETWEEN ISSUANCE AND THE APPLICATION AND ISSUANCE ONE BUSINESS DAY. BECAUSE THE TCEQ PROCESS IS LARGELY LIKE GETTING A MAIL ORDER DEGREE OR A MAIL ORDER CERTIFICATE THAT YOU'RE NOW A MINISTER PAY YOUR MONEY, YOU GET THE PERMIT. IT IS LARGELY MINISTERIAL, WHICH MEANS IF YOU FOLLOW THE PROCESS, YOU GET IT. THAT'S TWO MINUTES. I'M TRACKING IT TOO. I WAS LETTING HER FINISH. JUST, OKAY. IF YOU CAN CLOSE IT IN 10 SECONDS, CUT TO IT. ALRIGHT. THE SPEED BUMP THAT IS THE EASIEST ONE FOR US TO GET TO IS BY CHANGING THE PERMIT PROCESS. THEY HAVE APPLIED FOR THE STREAMLINED PERMIT, WHICH BYPASSES MANDATORY PUBLIC NOTICE COMMENT PERIODS OR HEARINGS. UNLIKE THE MORE RIGOROUS NEW SOURCE REVIEW PROJECT, WHICH IS WHAT THEY GOT, THEY'RE JUST USING THE ONE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THE STUFF. OKAY. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. STATE, STATE YOUR NAME? YEAH, GOOD MORNING. I'M BLAKE CHAMBERS. I'M A RESIDENT IN PARKER COUNTY, UH, PRECINCT THREE. COMMISSIONER WALDEN. UH, I WANT TO JUST STATE THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS THIS MORNING. IT FEELS GOOD TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE ON OUR SIDE. UM, MY WIFE AND FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS OF WEATHERFORD SINCE MY, UH, THE END OF MY SECOND DEPLOYMENT TO AFGHANISTAN IN 2017. AND I HAVE LOVED LIVING HERE. AND, UH, THE REASON I CAME HERE TODAY IS TO MAKE A FEW STATEMENTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M AN ECHO CHAMBER NOW AT THIS POINT, BUT I DO WANT TO, UH, READ THROUGH THIS. IF I CAN. I'LL BE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. UM, SO I WANNA SAY THAT I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY, UH, GOVERNMENT DOES HAVE LIMITED POWER. OKAY. BUT WE, THE PEOPLE CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT, WHICH INCLUDES THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. SO, UH, ACCORDING TO THE, THE GENTLEMAN'S STATEMENT BEFORE, I THINK THAT WE CAN TAKE THOSE RISKS IF YOU NEED SOMEBODY TO GO UP TO WASHINGTON WITH YOU. IT LOOKS [01:20:01] LIKE WE HAVE A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE THAT WE CAN DO THAT WITH. OKAY. UM, TO THE WATER CONSERVATIONIST, I APPRECIATE YOUR STATEMENTS. UM, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU CHALLENGE ANY OF THOSE GROUNDWATER STUDIES WITH THE UTMOST SCRUTINY TO ENSURE THAT THE STUDY, UH, RESULTS WERE NOT FALSIFIED AS WE KNOW THAT SOME THINGS CAN BE PAID OFF. SO I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, MAKING THAT A PROCESS, BUT PLEASE, UM, EXAMINE THAT WITH THE UTMOST SCRUTINY FOR US ON OUR SIDE. UM, I'M GONNA SKIP A LOT OF THIS FOR THE SAKE OF TIME. UH, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT, UH, DATA CENTERS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT TYPE, USE AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF WATER AND EXTREME AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY, AND HERE IN PARKER COUNTY, WE DON'T HAVE IT. SO IT'S NOT ABOUT DATA CENTERS BEING BAD INHERENTLY, UH, IT'S ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED. AND PARKER COUNTY IS NOT THE LOCATION FOR THOSE DATA CENTERS, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION. UM, I DO KNOW THAT THEY ARE PROBABLY NECESSARY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HUMANITY AND WORKING DEEPLY IN THE DEFENSE, DEFENSE INDUSTRY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE, UH, A NECESSARY THING FOR THE DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY. TWO MORE SECONDS. SURE. HOWEVER, I, I FEEL PERSONALLY, AND THOSE THAT I KNOW, FEEL PERSONALLY THAT THE DATA CENTER, UM, SHOULD NOT BE LOCATED ANYWHERE CLOSE TO PARKER COUNTY. THANK YOU. IF YOU WOULD STATE YOUR NAME, PLEASE. TRACY BOYER. AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF Y'ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS BECAUSE WHEN I CAME IN HERE, I WAS HOT TO TROT AND I WAS GONNA BE REALLY ANGRY. AND COMMISSIONER HOLT, YOU ARE MY COMMISSIONER AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU IN YOUR QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE, UH, ANSWERING A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE AS WELL. I DID DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH ON HERE AND SOME NUMBERS FOR PEOPLE SO THAT THEY ACTUALLY REALIZE WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT. A DATA CENTER, DEPENDING ON ITS SIZE, USES UP TO 5 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER A DAY. THAT'S A DAY. THAT'S NOT A YEAR. THAT'S A DAY WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM, THEY'RE NOT TOTALLY TRUTHFUL IN THAT BECAUSE THE WATER THAT COMES OUT THAT THEY'RE USING IS FULL OF DUST, CHEMICALS AND MINERALS. THEY CANNOT PUMP THAT BACK INTO THOSE COMPUTERS BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO RUIN THEM. SO A LOT OF THAT WATER IS GONNA GET PUSHED OUT INTO OUR EXISTING WATERSHED AND POLLUTION ON THE PEOPLE. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOUND, THIS IS 24 7, NO RESPITE FROM IT. 24 7 UP TO A HUNDRED DECIBELS OF SOUND COME FROM THOSE DATA CENTERS. THAT GOES FOR MILES AROUND. IT AFFECTS PEOPLE ON A CELLULAR LEVEL, IT AFFECTS WILDLIFE, IT AFFECTS LIVESTOCK ON A CELLULAR LEVEL, YOU'RE GONNA START SEEING ISSUES WITH REPRODUCTION, ET CETERA, ON AND ON. WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO POWER IN 2024 DATA CENTERS, WERE USING 450 TERRA WATTS, NOT MEGAWATTS, TERRA WATTS OF POWER. THAT ABOUT 10, 10 SECONDS. OKAY? THAT'S EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY 2030. SO, AND EMPLOYMENT, A FINISHED DATA CENTER, 20 TO 300 PEOPLE. THAT'S IT. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH AGRICULTURE EMPLOY EMPLOYS IN THIS COUNTY? OVER 45,000 PEOPLE. TIME'S UP. THANK YOU. HI, UM, I'M SHARI COLES. I LIVE IN HUDSON OAKS, PARKER COUNTY. BEEN HERE MORE YEARS THAN I WANNA SAY. UM, . AND I WAS HERE WHEN YOU WERE MAYOR OF HUDSON OAKS. AND EVEN AT THAT TIME, 30 YEARS AGO, WE WERE ON WATER RESTRICTION. 30 YEARS AGO WE WERE ON WATER RESTRICTION. WE'RE STILL ON WATER RESTRICTION. SO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THAT. IF WE'RE GONNA START HAVING MORE, UM, MORE USE OF OUR WATER, THE REASON THAT DATA CENTERS ARE CHARGING INTO TEXAS IS BECAUSE OF OUR LEGISLATIVE SCHEDULE. THEY WANNA GET HERE BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE, UH, CON CONVENES AGAIN. AND SO THAT THEY CAN BE UP AND RUNNING BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE CAN PASS ANY LAWS OR RESTRICTIONS. SO I THINK WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE OUR GOVERNOR TO HAVE A SPECIAL SESSION SO THAT WE CAN GET IN FRONT OF THIS. SO TO PIGGYBACK ON WHAT THE LADY BEFORE ME WAS SAYING, THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED INFRASOUND, WHICH I SHARED WITH YOU, JUDGE DEAN. IT IS THE SOUND THAT IS BELOW [01:25:01] HUMAN A ABILITY TO HEAR. AND IN HOOD COUNTY, THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING PHYSICAL, MORE CANCER ANIMALS ARE REACTING TO IT. IT IS, IT IS A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE THING. AND YOU CAN'T HEAR IT. IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S TALKING ABOUT LOUD SOUND. IT'S SOUND YOU CANNOT HEAR. SO, BUT IT IN FACT IMPACTS PEOPLE. IT, IT CAUSES CANCER, IT CAUSES HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, IT CAUSES HEARING LOSS OFF A NUMBER AND NUMBER OF THINGS. THERE'S A MAN ON YOUTUBE NAMED BEN JORDAN. IF YOU GO LOOK AT HIS PAGE, HE'S A VERY, VERY, VERY TECHNICAL PERSON. 10 MORE CENTS. BUT IF YOU GO LOOK AT HIS PAGE, YOU CAN FIND THAT INFORMATION. UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE CREATIVE. AND IN OTHER COUNTIES AND OTHER STATES, THIS IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL ISSUE. OTHER COUNTIES AND OTHER STATES, THEY PUT LOCKED ON THE WATER METER. I SORRY. AND SO THAT THEY COULD GET RESPONSE. SORRY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NOBODY, NOBODY'S DRIVING ON HERE. , STATE YOUR NAME PLEASE. MY NAME IS BRIANNE GLICK. AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE VERY EXACT PURPOSE OF THESE DATA CENTERS ARE. WHAT IS THE EXACT PURPOSE? HOW DO WE KNOW THAT, THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING ILLEGAL AND NEFARIOUS, UM, ACTIVITIES ONCE THEY GET THESE UP? BECAUSE THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD THAT I KNOW THEY HAVE THIS AMOUNT IS CHINA, COMMUNIST CHINA. WHY ARE WE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT? BESIDES EVERYTHING ELSE, EVERYTHING ELSE IS KIND OF LIKE IN THE BACKGROUND. YES, IT'S WRONG. WE DON'T HAVE THE WATER, WE DON'T HAVE ELECTRICITY. IT IS GONNA BE A BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE. WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THEY FOR? JUST THINKING OUT LOUD. WE NEED TO LIKE KIND OF APPROACH THIS FROM EVERY ANGLE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. STATE YOUR NAME PLEASE. LUANN COLLETTE. UH, MY THOUGHTS ARE SOMEWHAT MORE PERSONAL. FOR ONE THING, WHAT REALLY GRABBED MY ATTENTION ABOUT THIS TOPIC WAS, UM, READING ABOUT GLEN ROSE THAT THEY'RE TRYING, IF THEY'RE PUTTING THESE DATA CENTERS VERY CLOSE TO COMMUNITIES FOR A, FOR ACCESSIBILITY. AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, BUILDING A DATA CENTER WITHIN A CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE DI DINOSAUR VALLEY. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S, I HAVE CHILLS. THAT'S HORRIFIC TO EVEN CONTEMPLATE. THE OTHER THING IS, MY DAUGHTER AND HER FAMILY RECENTLY MOVED TO ABILENE. ABILENE HAS A DATA CENTER. IT IS VERY VISIBLE. UM, HOME PRICES EXPLODED. WELL THAT CAN BE GOOD, BUT ALSO MAKES HOMES INACCESSIBLE TO CITIZENS BECAUSE THEY'RE HAVING TO PROVIDE HOUSING HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE TO ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT COME TO WORK AT THE DATA CENTERS. IT'S, IT'S OBSCENE WHAT THESE DATA CENTERS ARE CAUSING. I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO CONTEMPLATE THIS IN EVERY WAY, SHAPE AND FORM EVERY DIRECTION BEFORE APPROVING ANY SUCH THING. IT WILL CHANGE WEATHERFORD FOREVER IF IT'S ALLOWED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. STATE HONOR, PLEASE, SIR. RYAN BURELL, UH, PRECINCT FOUR. UM, WE'VE TALKED A LOT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, UH, MY NAME'S RYAN BURELL AND I'M A RETIRED AIR FORCE FIREFIGHTER. 26 YEARS. UM, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UH, PRE-BUILDING, BUT WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT POST BUILDING. SO LET'S GIVE A SCENARIO THAT IT'S ALREADY BUILT AND THERE'S A MEDIUM SIZED DATA CENTER THAT CATCHES FIRE OR AN EXPLOSION WITH INJURIES. NFPA 1710 STANDARD STATES THAT A MINIMUM RESPONSE FOR MANPOWER IS 43 PERSONNEL, 39 FIREFIGHTERS FOR COMMAND. OUT OF THE 39 FIREFIGHTERS YOU NEED 12 HAZARDOUS MATERIAL TECHNICIANS. I'M A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TECHNICIAN WAS. UM, SO THE, THE NEXT THING YOU NEED TO KNOW IS AT 12, AT 20 MINUTES, UH, THOSE 39 FIREFIGHTERS NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR REST AND REHAB. THAT MEANS YOU NEED ANOTHER 39, ANOTHER 12 RE UH, HAZARDOUS HAZARD MATERIALS. UH, TECHNICIANS RIGHT NOW, THE UH, PARKER COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS WAY SHORT ON MANPOWER AND EXPERTISE. UH, FROM MY, UH, CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ALITO FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY HAD ABOUT SIX HAZMAT TECHNICIANS IN THE COUNTY. [01:30:01] WHEN YOU LOOK AT 39 FIREFIGHTERS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 10 TRUCKS. YOU LOOK AT AALTO FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH THREE TRUCKS. WILLOW PARK GOT A COUPLE. WALSH RANCH GOT ONE. UH, UH, HUDSON OAKS GOT A COUPLE. YOU'RE WAY SHORT ON 10 TRUCKS. BUT THEN YOU NEED ANOTHER 10, 20 MINUTES LATER. AND A DATA CENTER FIRE IS GONNA BE APPROXIMATELY FIVE HOURS LONG ACCORDING TO HISTORY. SO RIGHT NOW WE DON'T 10 SECONDS. WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE, WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER, AND THIS COUNTY DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO EDUCATE ALL THESE FIREFIGHTERS THAT WE NEED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HELLO. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH EVERYBODY HERE IS THAT THESE DATA CENTERS ARE NOT FOR OUR ADVANCEMENT. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARY. WHAT THEY ARE FOR IS ENSLAVEMENT, MASS SURVEILLANCE AND AI GOVERNANCE. THANK YOU. UNITED NATIONS AGENDA 2030. THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY. YOU CAN GO ONTO THE UNITED NATIONS WEBSITE, GO INTO THEIR SEARCH BAR, TYPE IN AGENDA 2030 AND THE INFORMATION WILL COME UP. THIS AGENDA WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY GEORGE BUSH SENIOR IN THE NINETIES. IT IS AN OLIGARCHY DRIVEN ENSLAVEMENT AGENDA BEING ADVANCED WITH THEIR MONEY. AND THE MINIONS WHO TAKE THEIR MONEY AND THE LEGISLATION THAT THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTED. THE PLAN IS AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING CONTROL SYSTEM. YOU WILL BE CONTROLLED IN THE NAME OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND A CARBON CREDIT SCORING SYSTEM. YOUR PURCHASES AND YOUR TRAVELING WILL BE MONITORED, LIMITED AND RECORDED. THE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS ARE SMART CITIES. THERE'S HEAVY SURVEILLANCE WHERE PEOPLE ARE MONITORED AND CONTROLLED. PLEASE LEARN THE OVERARCHING BIGGER AGENDA TO THIS. THESE DATA CENTERS, AGAIN, ARE NOT FOR OUR ADVANCEMENT. THEY ARE FOR UNITED NATIONS AGENDA 2030, CONTROL, SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING OF EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES. PLEASE RESEARCH AND PLEASE SHARE. WE SHOULD HAVE NO ACCEPTANCE OF THESE DATA CENTERS AT ALL. THERE SHOULD BE A COMPLETE MORATORIUM. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS JANINE NEL PRECINCT TWINE, AND I'M A DECADES LONG RESIDENT. I APPRECIATE THE COURT TAKING STEPS TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS OF HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, WATER RESOURCES AND THE ELECTRICAL GRID. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THE RESOLUTION STILL LACKS SUFFICIENT LANGUAGE ADDRESSING THE DIRECT IMPACT THESE FACILITIES MAY HAVE ON THE DAY-TO-DAY QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE NEARBY RESIDENTS, WHAT I OFTEN CALL HUMANITY. WE RECOGNIZE THE COURT. WE A REQUEST THE COURT TO AMEND AND STRONG LANGUAGE THAT LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS AND AI INFRASTRUCTURES MAY IMPACT HUMANS, THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, RURAL CHARACTER, AGRICULTURAL VIABILITY, WILDLIFE HABITAT, PEACE, QUIET ENJOYMENT OF PROPERTY, HEALTH, AND GENERAL WELLBEING OF NEARBY RESIDENTS. AGAIN, WE ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THESE, UH, HYPERSCALE, INDUSTRIAL AND DEVELOPMENTS MAY BE INCOMPATIBLE OR ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR AGRICULTURAL, OUR ESTABLISHED RESIDENCES, OUR RANCHING, OUR PRIZED VINEYARD, AND OUR RURAL LAND. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PROTECTING PARKER COUNTY, WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT ROADS AND WATER AND ELECTRICITY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MADE PARKER COUNTY, PARKER COUNTY, OUR HISTORY PRESERVED BY OUR HERITAGE SOCIETY OUT ON SILVER CREEK, OUR RANCHES, OUR LOCAL VINEYARD, OUR WILDLIFE, OUR OPEN SPACES, AND THE RURAL QUALITY OF LIFE THAT FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA HOPE YOU WILL INVEST IN FOR GENERATIONS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, ONCE THESE THINGS ARE ALTERED, THEY CANNOT BE RESTORED. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER AN ADDENDUM, UH, AND THE CONCERNS OF THE LOCAL RESIDENTS AND THE EXISTING COMMUNITY, UH, AS WE DEVELOP ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS ROSS MULLINS. IF YOU WOULD SPEAK, MOVE UP A LITTLE BIT. THANK YOU. SURE. MY NAME IS ROSS MULLINS. UH, I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN PARKER COUNTY IN WEATHERFORD. AND, UH, MY FAMILY LIVES AT 5 0 1 PEARSON RANCH ROAD. THAT'S THE SAME ADDRESS [01:35:01] AS THIS PROPOSED DATA CENTER. IT IS ACROSS MY FENCE LINE. IT MAY SOUND FAMILIAR BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE DATA CENTER IS PROPOSED. THE PROPOSED DATA CENTER. IF YOU WOULDN'T MOVE UP CLOSER, PLEASE. THE PROPOSED DATA CENTER IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY FENCE LINE. WE ALREADY HAVE THE ONLY, UH, COMPRESSOR STATION ON OUR STREET, WHICH IS NOT REGULATED BY EITHER LOCAL OR STATE, UH, REGULATORY COMMISSIONS BOTH ALREADY POINT THEIR FINGER AT ONE ANOTHER AND THERE'S NO EXPECTATION THAT IT WOULD GET ANY BETTER WITH A PROPOSED DATA CENTER. COMMISSIONERS IN MY COUNTY HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED BLACK MOUNTAIN'S LAND PURCHASE ON MAY 26TH AND HEARD THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER SID MILLER AND THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE PARKER COUNTY AND THE CITY OF WEATHERFORD. I WANT YOU TO IMAGINE HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD'VE SHOWED UP AT THIS MEETING WERE SCHEDULED OUTSIDE OF TYPICAL WORKING HOURS. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, I'M GONNA TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN HAVE A BACK BACKBONE. SO THESE GREEDY STRANGERS WITH HIGH PRICE ATTORNEYS WILL DISAPPEAR. OTHER DATA CENTERS RECEIVE KICKBACKS AS IN A 15% TAX ABATEMENT ON PROPERTY TAXES FOR 10 YEARS IN EXCHANGE FOR MEETING REQUESTS FROM THE COUNTY FOR NOISE LEVELS, ROAD REPAIR SETBACKS, LOCAL WORKFORCE HIRING AND OUTDOOR FIXTURES DESIGNED TO CONTAIN LIGHT WITHIN THE CAMPUS, PLUS A 1.5 MILLION DONATION FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES AND FULL PAYMENT OF SCHOOL TAXES. THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE FROM OTHER DATA CENTERS. WE NEITHER NOR WE NEITHER NEED NOR WANT THAT STUFF. ABOUT 10 MORE SECONDS, PLEASE. OKAY. I WANT YOU TO IMAGINE THAT THIS IS IN YOUR BACKYARD LIKE IT IS ACROSS MY FENCE LINE. IT DOES NOT HELP ANYONE. AND I JUST WANT TO ASK THAT IT'S NOT WORTH ANY NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS OR UNDER THE TABLE SUPPORT THAT YOU COULD RECEIVE. I WANT TO THANK OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR ADOPTING THE RESOLUTION 'CAUSE I BELIEVE YOU'RE DOING WHAT YOU CAN, BUT I WANT TO ASK OUR STATE OFFICIALS TO STEP UP AS WELL. THANK, THANK YOU. IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH? GOOD MORNING, JUDGE DEAN COMMISSIONERS. I'M RICHARD SIMS RESIDENT HERE OF PRECINCT, UH, TWO IN PARKER COUNTY, JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF WEATHERFORD, ABOUT SEVEN MILES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE SITE. I APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT Y'ALL HAVE HAD THIS MORNING. NOW THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY IS SUPPOSED TO WORK. YOU BRING SOMETHING UP. WE AS CITIZENS COME TELL YOU HOW WE FEEL AND Y'ALL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. UH, I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY OR AT LEAST WHAT I'VE SEEN, UH, ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN THE PAST, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE BRINGING IT UP TODAY. TO BE CLEAR HERE, MY POSITION ON DATA CENTERS IS THAT I'M AGAINST THEM HERE IN PARKER COUNTY. UNDER THE CONDITIONS THAT EXIST TODAY, MY CONCERNS MIRROR WHAT OTHER CITIZENS HAVE SAID THIS MORNING. I HAVE WATER CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY AFTER HEARING THIS COURT'S CONCERNS ABOUT WATER AND THE COURT'S HYDROLOGY 2050 COMMITTEES ALONG WITH THE WATER SYMPOSIUM, THAT PRESENTATION LAST YEAR AT THE SHERIFF'S POSSE. THERE ARE MANY OTHER CONCERNS LIKE POLLUTION, NOISE, POWER, BUT AGAIN, I WANNA FOCUS TODAY ON TRANSPARENCY. ON MAY 26TH, I ATTENDED THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE I GOT THE AGENDA AND IT DIDN'T WRENCH IN DATA CENTERS. BUT THE FIRST HOUR WAS SPENT TALKING ABOUT DATA CENTERS, SAID MILLER WAS THERE, THE, UH, WEATHERFORD CITY MANAGER WAS THERE. AND YOU DID ASK IF WE WANTED TO SPEAK, BUT I WASN'T PREPARED BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING THAT TOLD ME THAT WAS WHAT WAS GONNA BE ON THE AGENDA. SO I DID DIG BACK A LITTLE BIT IN PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER'S COURTS AND I NOTICED THAT THE FIRST TIME THIS WAS MENTIONED WAS DECEMBER 23RD, 2024 ITEM. UH, AB WAS A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CREATION OF REINVESTMENT ZONE 2024 DASH OH THREE. FOR THOSE THAT AREN'T AWARE, THAT'S THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT THAT A COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS TO DO BEFORE OFFERING A TAX ABATEMENT. NOW THAT WAS APPROVED FIVE TO ONE AND NO TAX ABATEMENT WAS GIVEN. AND I APPRECIATE TODAY THAT Y'ALL HAVE SAID THAT YOU'RE AGAINST TAX ABATEMENTS. ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT IN THE FUTURE, BE MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE ISSUES TO THIS COURT AND WE WILL SHOW UP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME'S SUZANNE ELDRIDGE GORE. I ALSO SHARE A FENCE LINE WITH THE PROPERTY THAT BLACK MOUNTAIN HAS PURCHASED. I ALSO HAVE 11 WATER WELLS THAT SERVE ABOUT 400 PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THIS AREA, JUST A FEW MILES FROM WHERE THEY PLAN TO PUT THE DATA CENTER. I'M CONCERNED THAT WE ARE JUST LITTLE PEOPLE AND WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A HUGE SAY. AND I, I APPRECIATE THE PUC DOUG SHAW FROM UPPER TRINITY, AND ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS HERE ARE BEING SUPPORTIVE. I KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WE SERVE ARE ELDERLY PEOPLE. YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS ROOM. I'VE BEEN HERE, UM, ALMOST 30 YEARS AND I GUARANTEE YOU MOST OF THESE PEOPLE HERE HAVE BEEN HERE DECADES OF GENERATIONS. AND WE HA WE FEEL LIKE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A LOT OF SAY IN LIKE, WHO'S THEY? WHO, WHO'S THEY [01:40:01] THAT GAVE THEM A PERMIT IN 24 HOURS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE POOL IT'S GONNA HAVE ON OUR WATER. SO I REALLY WANNA POINT OUT LIKE SO MANY AREAS WE KNOW YOU CAN'T HAVE SUBDIVISIONS OR PEOPLE ARE HAVING A TRUCK IN THEIR WATER. WE DON'T HAVE THE WATER. AND SO WE'VE BEEN SO CONSERVATIVE. WE'VE HAD RESTRICTIVE WATER DAYS. WE, WE, WE FIX OUR WATER LEAKS. I MEAN, LIKE, IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO PROTECT OUR WATER AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH. WHY DID THE DATA CENTER PICK HERE? OF ALL THE AREAS IN PARKER COUNTY, THEY'RE IN OUR BEST AQUIFER. THEY'RE IN OUR BEST WATER TABLE THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WE'RE SHARING TO, TO OTHER, OTHER AREAS. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE RIGHT BY LAKE WEATHERFORD AND THEY'RE RIGHT, RIGHT BY MY WELLS. THEY'RE RIGHT BETWEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT WATER SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COUNTY. AND, AND I'VE SEEN IT. SO YOU, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TEST WELLS. IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, WELL, A OPPORTUNITY MAKES US HAVE A TEST. WELL NOW BECAUSE WE WANNA SEE WHAT IMPACT THAT WELL IS GONNA PULL, HOW MUCH WATER THAT'S GONNA PULL. WELL, THEY'VE HAD TEST DATA CENTERS, RIGHT? WE SEE THIS LOOK AT SAN AND IN CORPUS CHRISTI AND OTHER AREAS THAT THEY'VE HAD DATA CENTERS. THE LAKES ARE BEING DRAINED AND DRIED AND OUR AQUIFERS ARE BEING DRAINED. AND WATER IS OUR LIFE. I MEAN, THIS ISN'T LIKE I, AND OF COURSE THE NOISE IS GONNA AFFECT US AND EVERYTHING, BUT OUR WATER, OUR WATER IS SUCH A HUGE THING. AND WE KNOW WHERE THEY'RE PLANNING THIS DATA CENTER IS, IS WHERE OUR WATER IS. SO IF THEY COULD JUST GO LIKE TO EDWARDS COUNTY OR SOMEWHERE WHERE NOBODY LIVES BECAUSE THERE'S AN ANTHRAX, YOU KNOW, AREA AND YOU DON'T HAVE WATER, YOU DON'T HAVE LIFE, WE HAVE LIFE. AND OUR GROWTH IS JUST INCREASING SO MUCH. AND THIS IS REALLY GONNA HURT US. SO I APPRECIATE ANY EFFORT AT ALL THAT YOU COULD DO. AND I SPEAK FOR SO MANY PEOPLE TO PLEASE HELP US PREVENT THEM FROM COMING IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS LEE BUTLER, PRECINCT TWO. AND SHOULD WE DO THIS IN PUBLIC? UM, OKAY. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT TODAY ABOUT THE REALITIES OF WATER SHORTAGES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. AND I THINK WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS TAKE IT TO ANOTHER PLACE. UM, WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS A 21ST CENTURY PROBLEM WITH A 19TH CENTURY SET OF RULES. AND THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK. AND IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THESE TYPES OF ISSUES IN THE FUTURE APPROPRIATELY, THEN SOMEONE FRIENDLY TO COUNTIES IN AUSTIN IS GOING TO HAVE TO STEP UP AND SAY, WE'RE GONNA CHANGE THE WAY COUNTIES CAN DO THEIR BUSINESS. YOU'VE SPOKEN TO THAT A NUMBER OF TIMES TODAY, AND I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY. BUT HAVING THE ABILITY TO REFLECT THE LOCAL NEEDS AND THE GOVERNANCE OF THE PEOPLE BECOMES CRITICAL WHENEVER WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS COMPLEX SITUATIONS THAT DON'T FIT 1876. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS AND THE FRAMEWORK Y'ALL BUILT HERE IS GOOD, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT ASK YOURSELF THIS, WHAT'S THE VALUE OF A HUMAN LIFE COMPARED TO A SHAREHOLDER'S PROFITS? BECAUSE THAT'S THE QUESTION YOU NEED TO ANSWER. HI, I'M JAMIE BODIFORD. I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY. I WANT TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS FOR TAKING THE BOWLES STAND THAT YOU DID BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER COMMISSIONER'S COURTS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ARE NOT DOING THAT. BUT I THINK THE REAL PROBLEM IS WE'RE MISSING A FEW PEOPLE TODAY. WE'RE MISSING OUR TWO STATE SENATORS AND OUR GOVERNOR. AND MANY OF US SUPPORTED THAT GOVERNOR AND HE IS BEHIND BLACK MEN. THAT'S HIS FRIEND RYAN, IS HE RECEIVED $500,000 WE KNOW OF. UH, AND IT BREAKS MY HEART. I WAS A POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR FROM, UH, WEATHERFORD, TEXAS GOING TO COLLEGE. AND I WORKED 17 YEARS FOR VARIOUS CONGRESSMEN, UH, PHIL GRAHAM, JIM WRIGHT. I WAS A STATE SENATOR DIRECTOR FOR, UH, STATE SENATOR BOB GLASGOW. AND IT BREAKS MY HEART THAT WE CAN CALL A PUB GA UH, ABBOTT. SO UPSET ABBOTT COULD CALL A PUBLIC SESSION, BUT HE PROBABLY WON'T. I CHALLENGE HIM. AND IF YOU'RE A SUPPORTER OF GREG ABBOTT, CONTACT HIM AND SAY, GET A SPECIAL SESSION, LET'S ADDRESS IT. 'CAUSE FOLKS, THERE'S MORE THINGS GOING ON THAN WE KNOW. AND IF YOU'RE YOUNG ENOUGH, YOU DON'T KNOW THIS. THERE WAS A BOONDOGGLE YEARS AGO IN THE EIGHTIES, IT WAS CALLED THE SUPERCONDUCTOR COLLIDER IN ELLIS COUNTY. IF YOU GO TO ELLIS COUNTY TODAY, THEY TOOK PEOPLE'S FARMS, THEY TOOK THEIR LIVELIHOOD AWAY AND THEY BUILT THE BIGGEST BOONDOGGLE IN THE, IN THE COUNTRY. IT WAS A JOKE AND IT WAS A GOVERNMENT THING THAT WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME. AND, UM, I DON'T WANNA SEE THAT IN PARKER COUNTY. ANOTHER THING IS, UM, THERE IS SOMEBODY, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT, WE DO HAVE SOME BALD EAGLES OUT AT LAKE WEATHERFORD. [01:45:01] MAYBE WE CAN GO FROM THAT FEDERAL WAY. UM, BUT WE DO NEED TO DIG INTO, AND THIS MAKES ME SAY THAT I DIDN'T DIG INTO SENATE BILL SIX, BUT THERE WAS A PROVISION IN THERE. AND I'M NOT GONNA NAME NAMES, BUT YOU'LL FIND IT OUT YOURSELF THAT DID NOT WANT PUBLIC COMMENT. SO LET'S GET ANOTHER MEETING IN THE EVENINGS, MAKE IT AROUND GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S SCHEDULE. BILL KINGS AND GRANT AND DENTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SHAUNA STICE ROBINSON. I'VE BEEN A LICENSED REALTOR IN PARKER COUNTY FOR, UM, SINCE 1990. UM, I CARE ABOUT MY CLIENTS AND, UM, UP HERE TO JUST TELL YOU THAT I'M SHOWING PROPERTY ALL OVER PARKER COUNTY AND NOBODY TELLS ME A DATA CENTER'S COMING. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DISCLOSE TO MY CLIENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS GIGANTIC DATA SET CENTER COMING WHEN I DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, I'M ALREADY DISCLOSING THAT WE HAVE WATER ISSUES AND ELECTRICITY ISSUES, AND NOW JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DISCLOSING DATA CENTERS. I JUST FEEL LIKE IT'S ROBBERY OF PEOPLE'S, YOU KNOW, UM, INVESTMENTS. I MEAN, YES, INITIALLY WHEN THE CENTER IS BEING BUILT, PEOPLE ARE GONNA NEED ACCOMMODATIONS TO, YOU KNOW, STAY IN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION. BUT WHEN THAT'S OVER, THEY'RE GONE. AND WHAT'S LEFT IS MY CLIENTS ON THEIR BEAUTIFUL LITTLE DREAM PROPERTIES, UM, WHO HAVE, HAVE LOST SO MUCH VALUE BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN THING. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I NEED Y'ALL TO FIGHT THIS LIKE AN HOA WOULD FIGHT SOMEONE WITH THE WRONG KIND OF FENCE. OKAY? I NEED Y'ALL TO TELL HIM YOU CAN'T COME HERE. YOU'RE NOT GONNA ROB OUR CITIZENS OF THEIR, YOU KNOW, UM, EQUITY IN THEIR HOMES. IT'S RIDICULOUS. I MEAN, THERE'S OTHER PLACES THAT ARE NOT POPULATED TO GO THE END. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS JESSICA. I WAS NOT PLANNING ON SPEAKING TODAY, SO FORGIVE ME. I'M VERY NERVOUS. UM, I ACTUALLY CAME STRAIGHT HERE FROM BEING LAID OFF THIS MORNING, , UM, TO, FOR MY JOB TO BE REPLACED BY AI. AND THAT'S WHAT'S COMING FOR ALL OF US. AND I CAME UP HERE NOT TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE CONS. I THINK WE ALL KNOW THEM. UM, I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T NEED TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, THOUGH. I AM NOT OPPOSED TO IT. BUT I'M, I'M LOOKING AT YOU MEN, OKAY? YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A BOARD OF MEN THAT ROLL OVER, OKAY? AND I'M TRYING TO RAISE THREE LITTLE BOYS HERE, AND I NEED EXAMPLES. I NEED SOMETHING FOR THEM TO GROW UP INTO AND MEN TO, TO LOOK UP TO ON HOW TO BE MEN AND HOW TO FIGHT. WE ARE TEXANS, OKAY? WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT CALIFORNIANS. SORRY, BUT THIS IS NOT CALIFORNIA. THIS IS NOT NEW YORK FIGHT LIKE A RABID DOG FIGHT FOR US, OR WE WILL HAVE NOTHING LEFT. WHAT ARE WE, WHAT ARE WE LEAVING FOR THEM? I, I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A CONSPIRACY, IT'S GONNA BE FINE. IT'S LIKE NOTHING ELSE. I HEARD JOHN MCQUEENY ON A PODCAST SAY, THIS IS LIKE THE RAILROAD, AND IF WE DON'T GET ON, WE'RE GONNA BE LEFT BEHIND. I DISAGREE. IF WE GET ON, WE ARE GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND. THIS IS GOING TO DEMOLISH OUR FUTURES. FIGHT. LIKE MEN, LIKE TEXAS MEN FIGHT LIKE RABID DOGS. STOP FOLLOWING THE RULES BECAUSE THESE RULES ARE NOT HERE FOR US. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT EVEN HERE FOR THESE DATA CENTERS YET, BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS. OKAY, YOU GOT TO FIGHT. I AM BEGGING YOU FOR THE SAKE OF MY CHILDREN, FOR THEIR FUTURE, FOR MY FUTURE AND EVERYBODY ELSE. FIGHT LIKE TEXAS MEN. MAKE YOUR MAMAS PROUD THAT THAT'S, THAT'S, I WOULDN'T WANT TO SPEAK AFTER THAT ONE, BUT GO AHEAD, . THAT IS VERY HARD TO SPEAK AFTER THAT. . YEAH. I LOVE MOMS. LOVE THEM. I AM ALSO A MOM. MY NAME IS CARLY CHAMBERS. I AM IN PRECINCT THREE. AND AS I WATCH ALL OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES UP HERE, I NOTICED THAT MY PRECINCT LEADER, MY VOICE HAS NOT TAKEN ANY NOTES. AND I DO, I I DO BELIEVE YOU DO A GREAT JOB. HOWEVER, I KNOW THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER ALL OF OUR CONCERNS. AND SO I DO APPRECIATE EVERYONE UP HERE FIGHTING SO HARD FOR US. AND 2020, WE BUILT OUR HOUSE AND WE DRILL THE WELL. AND WITHIN SIX MONTHS, OUR WELL WAS PULLING UP SMU IN EVERY SINGLE PIPE OF OUR BRAND NEW HOUSE. EVERY SINGLE PIPE, MUD AND SAND WAS COMING OUT OF THE PIPES. MY FAM, THEY HAD TO CUT OUR WELL OFF FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS IN 2021. THAT NEXT YEAR IN THREE WEEKS, WE WERE TAKING SHOWERS WITH MY [01:50:01] TWO LITTLE KIDS. I WAS TRYING TO BATHE THEM WITH BOTTLES OF WATER AND NEIGHBORHOOD HOSES BECAUSE WE HAD NO WATER, BECAUSE A HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM US WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THEY DRILLED, THEY DWELLED A A WELL THAT PULLED FROM OUR WELL. SO THEN IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BUY A NEW WELL AND HAVE A NEW WELL DWELLING THAT FELL ON US. HOW DID WE NOT SEE THIS COMING? HOW DID WE NOT START CHANGING THE LAWS? IF THIS IS POPPING UP IN SO MANY COUNTIES, IN SO MANY CITIES AND SO MANY OTHER STATES, WHY WERE WE NOT PREPARED A LITTLE BIT MORE TO FORESEE THIS AS A POSSIBILITY? I APPRECIATE EVERYONE UP HERE FERVENTLY TAKING NOTES AND HEARING OUR CONCERNS. MY QUESTION IS RHETORICAL, WHAT ARE WE DOING? NOT TO PUT A BANDAID ON THIS, THIS ISSUE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW WHEN IN LITIGATION IT, THERE'S, THEY'RE GONNA FIND HOLES. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE HOLES THAT THEY'RE GONNA FIND WHEN THEY COME BACK TO US? WHAT ARE THEY, WHAT ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW TO PREPARE US FOR AN ABUSE? ABOUT TWO MORE SECONDS. I'M SORRY. OH, ABSOLUTELY. TO PREPARE US FOR THE NEXT THING, BECAUSE WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING. I AM THANKFUL FOR PARKER COUNTY. I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU. UM, COMMISSIONER, I DO HOPE THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE LAWSUIT COMING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI THERE. MY NAME IS ANGELA RODRIGUEZ PERMAN, BUT MOST PEOPLE KNOW ME AS HELI. AND, UM, I JUST WANT TO REMIND, UH, SOMEONE HAD MENTIONED IT EARLIER ABOUT LIKE, WHY ARE THEY BUILDING THESE DATA CENTERS? AND TO REMIND EVERYONE AGAIN FOR THIS AI DEVELOPMENT THAT IS COMPLETELY UNREGULATED. UM, WE NEED TO BE ASKING OUR REPRESENTATIVES ALL UP AND DOWN YOUR BALLOT ABOUT THESE THINGS BECAUSE WE NEED AI LIABILITY LAWS, UM, THAT WHENEVER THINGS GO WRONG, LIKE WHEN PEOPLE ARE GETTING THEIR HEALTH CONCERNS RIGHT NOW, LIKE I HAVE A FRIEND OF MINE, HER GRANDMA CALLED ME SAYING SHE'S GETTING HEADACHES FROM THE ONES IN HOOD COUNTY. YOU KNOW, SO, AND WE DON'T HAVE HEALTHCARE , UM, THAT'S AFFORDABLE, UM, TO, TO SOLVE THESE THINGS. SO IT'S MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU GUYS ARE DOING YOUR RESEARCH AND ASKING GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND OUR TEXAS HOUSE, CRAIG GOLDMAN, ROGER WILLIAMS, ALL THESE FOLKS, THEY WORK FOR US AND THEY HAVE BEEN ALLOWING THIS FOR YEARS. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE HERE TO MAKE SURE YOU COME OUT AND VOTE IN NOVEMBER AND MAKE SURE YOU VOTE NEW PEOPLE IN OFFICE. UM, BECAUSE GREG ABBOTT AND A LOT OF THE IT'S BILLIONAIRES IN THEIR POCKETS THAT ARE DOING THIS, ALL THESE BILLIONAIRE, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME FOLKS. SO MAKE SURE YOU GET OUT AND VOTE IN NOVEMBER AND VOTE FOR GINA HENO. SO I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT. HI, MY NAME'S FRED STOTZ, UH, LIVED HERE FOR 25 YEARS. UM, I THINK WE FOCUSED ON THE IN THE MIC, PLEASE. WE KNOW, WE KNOW WHO THE ENEMY IS, WE KNOW WHAT WE DON'T LIKE. WE KNOW WHY WE DON'T LIKE IT. BUT LET'S FOCUS ON THE HOW. I'VE LOOKED INTO A COMPANY OR A A A DATA CENTER WATCH. UH, THEY CLAIM THAT OVER $156 BILLION HAVE BEEN BLOCKED ACROSS THE NATION, EVEN IN CANADA. THERE'S A A THREE EXAMPLES THEY GIVE. ONE IS IN SAN MARCOS, ONE IS IN UTAH, ONE IS EVEN IN CANADA. AND WHAT THEY CLAIM IS DEVELOPERS, THEY TRY TO PAINT THESE PROJECTS AS INEVITABLE ORGANIZED COMMUNITIES ARE PROVING THAT PUTTING SAND IN THE GEARS OF THE, OF THE REGULATORY AND LEGAL PROCESS CAN MAKE A PROJECT TOO EXPENSIVE AND TOO LOGISTICALLY TOXIC TO PURSUE. LET'S FOCUS ON HOW I'M REALLY ENCOURAGED. THIS IS HOW WE STOP THIS. THIS IS HOW IT CAN'T BE STOPPED. I DIDN'T THINK WE COULD. I LOOKED INTO THE LAW, IT WAS REAL DIFFICULT, BUT I AM ENCOURAGED BY WHAT I'VE SEEN HERE. LET'S LOOK INTO HOW WE COULD PUT SAND IN THE GEARS OF THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, MY NAME IS CHRISTY. I HAVE BEEN A PARKER COUNTY RESIDENT FOR 50 YEARS. FOR 50 YEARS. SOME OF YOU KNOW ME. I'VE BEEN ENTITLED, WORKED, WORKED WITH YOU, JOHN. BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A DUTY AND AN OBLIGATION FOR PARKER [01:55:01] COUNTY. 'CAUSE PARKER COUNTY'S STRONG. WE DON'T PUT UP WITH CRAP. WE, WE HANDLE THINGS AS WE NEED TO. WE SAW THAT AT, AT THE COURTHOUSE IN 2020. WE KNOW HOW WE HANDLE THINGS. Y'ALL NEED TO BACK US. Y'ALL NEED TO DEFEND US LIKE WE DEFEND OUR, OUR COUNTY. WE ARE NOT PUTTING UP WITH NO CRAP. I KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD Y'ALL SAY THAT Y'ALL ARE, Y'ALL DON'T SUPPORT ANY OF THIS TODAY. BUT COMMISSIONER HOLT, YOU ASKED ME, UH, A COUPLE DAYS AGO IF I EXPECTED YOU TO, TO BREAK THE LAW BY TELLING THESE COMPANIES NO. OR BY, BY BLOCKING THE PERMIT OR, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I, IT REALLY BOTHERED ME BECAUSE I EXPECT YOU TO TELL THESE COMPANIES NO AND BREAK AND NOT BREAK YOUR OATH. THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY LAW THAT THESE CORPORATIONS THINK THAT THEY HAVE OVER US. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY POWER OVER US. THEY ARE NOTHING. AND Y'ALL NEED TO REALIZE THAT. AND Y'ALL NEED TO STAND UP FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T ELECT YOU. WE DID. WE DID. AND WE WANT YOU TO BACK US 100%. YOU ARE NOT COWARDS. WE COULD SHOW THIS WHOLE NATION WHO, WHO'S, WHO'S THE MOST POWERFUL STATE AND COUNTY IN THE WORLD. WE COULD DO THAT. Y'ALL COULD DO THAT IF YOU PULL UP YOUR PANTS AND BE REAL MEN, WHICH I KNOW YOU HAVE IT IN YOU. BUT BE REAL MEN AND SAY NO, NO. AND BE THE EXAMPLE TO THE NATION AND THE WORLD OF PEOPLE THAT WILL NOT PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP AND NOT LET YOUR CONSTITUENTS GO DOWN FOR SOME, A BAD DECISION THAT Y'ALL MAKE. THANK YOU. HELLO. AND THANK YOU FOR HEARING ABOUT THE CITIZENS OF PARKER COUNTY. UM, I GOT HERE LATE, SO, OH, MY NAME IS REBECCA HOGAN. I'VE BEEN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDOWNER FOR OVER 30 YEARS IN PRECINCT TWO. UM, I AM HERE FOR, THE PRIMARY CONCERN I HAVE IS WATER. MY TANKS ARE NO LONGER FULL ON MY FARM AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN FOR YEARS. THERE'S A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM ME. AND AS LONG AS PEOPLE KEEP POKING A HOLE IN THE GROUND, EVERY TWO ACRES TO BUILD NEW HOMES, WHICH THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DO WATER IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN FOR ME PERSONALLY. I'M HERE TODAY, RIGHT NOW TO FERVENTLY RESPECTFULLY URGE THIS COURT TO AMEND THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU ALL JUST PASSED, WHICH I BELIEVE YOU PROBABLY, THERE ARE SOME RULES THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW, BUT I BELIEVE YOU COULD DO THAT PARTICULARLY ON PAGE TWO, THREE PARAGRAPHS DOWN. YOU SAY THERE ARE LOCAL CONCERNS. HOW ABOUT YOU SAY OVERWHELMING OUTRAGE BY THE CITIZENS OF PARKER COUNTY. COME ON, PUT SOME TEETH. IF ALL YOU NEED TO DO, ALL YOU CAN DO, ALL YOU ARE WILLING TO DO IS WRITE A RESOLUTION. AT LEAST MAKE IT A RESOLUTION THAT REFLECTS YOUR CONSTITUENTS. THE NEXT OF THE LAST PARAGRAPH ON THAT SAME PAGE SAYS THAT YOU ALL HAVE LIMITED STATUTORY AUTHORITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THEN IT SAYS, YOU BEAR RESPONSIBILITY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ADJUDICATED IN A COURTROOM. QUITE FRANKLY, IF THEY EXPECT YOU TO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAKING CARE OF OUR HEALTH AND OUR WELFARE AND OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR INDUSTRY THAT HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE STATE WAS INCORPORATED, THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME TEETH IN THE GAME. AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD AVENUE TO WHICH YOU CAN APPEAL TO FIRST THE STATE GOVERNMENT. I HAVE YOU'RE OUTTA TIME. I'M SORRY. COUPLE, COUPLE SECONDS. OKAY. I'D LIKE THE LAST TWO 10 SECONDS THAT EVERYBODY ELSE GOT. WELL, I'VE ALREADY LET YOU TWO MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS. GO AHEAD. OKAY, YOU ALL, I CAN'T SAY IT ANY BETTER THAN THAT. MOTHER. YOU ALL NEED TO STEP UP, FIGHT AND DO SOMETHING MORE THAN PASS A WEAK RESOLUTION BEFORE, BEFORE YOU SPEAK. I I, I DON'T WANNA BE A ACT LOOK LIKE A TIMER UP HERE WITH THIS CLOCK. AND I KNEW THAT WAS GONNA BE THE CASE. UH, YOU WENT NEARLY THREE MINUTES AND SO AT SOME POINT I WAS TRYING TO CONTROL THAT. SO I'M JUST PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME AS WE DRILL THIS MEETING. PROCEED PLEASE. OKAY. MY NAME IS DANA VAR. UM, THREE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT. FIRST, I RECOGNIZE AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN HOW YOU WORD THINGS. I KNOW THAT IN OTHER COUNTIES YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH OTHER, OTHER COUNTIES AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE LEGAL STUFF, ESPECIALLY JOHN, I'M SURE YOU'RE ON THIS. UM, AND YOU'RE TRYING NOT TO EXPOSE THE TAXPAYERS TO MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LAWSUITS. AND I GET THAT [02:00:01] AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT. I WOULD ASK ANOTHER THING I WOULD ASK, COULD YOU SCHEDULE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE MEETINGS IN THE EVENING WHERE PEOPLE WHO, LIKE MY WIFE FOR INSTANCE, CAN'T COME 'CAUSE SHE WORKS. AND I'M MISSING MY WORK RIGHT NOW TOO, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE. COULD YOU SCHEDULE ANOTHER MEETING AND GET OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES BUTS HERE SO THAT WE CAN EXPRESS OUR CONCERNS TO PEOPLE WHO CAN DO SOMETHING? I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE LIMITED WITH WHAT THE STATE LAWS SAY. SO I ASK EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM, CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE STATE AND, AND PUSH THEM AND, AND CONTACT GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND TRY TO GET A SPECIAL SESSION TO ADDRESS THIS. LIKE WE'VE ALREADY SAID, THESE DATA CENTERS ARE, ARE, THEY KNOW THEY'RE RUSHING TO GET HERE BEFORE ANY LEGISLATION CAN PUSH 'EM OUT. AND MY VERY FINAL POINT WOULD BE, UM, LIKE THAT YOUNG LADY SAID, I WOULDN'T JUST ASK YOU GUYS TO FIGHT LIKE TEXAS MEN. I'M ASKING ALL THE WOMEN IN HERE TO FIGHT LIKE TEXAS WOMEN. 'CAUSE I'M WAY MORE SCARED OF THE TEXAS WOMEN HERE AND I KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO. SO CONTACT EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME A MOMENT TO SAY SOMETHING BEFORE I ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK. UM, JUST REAL QUICK, THERE'S BEEN A, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPOKE, THERE'S BEEN A COMMON THEME HERE. LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT, WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED. WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE, UM, THAT ARE REPRESENTED. OUR LEGISLATORS HERE. WE THANK YOU FOR THAT. THOSE THAT HAVE NOT OR ARE NOT HERE, UH, WE'RE GONNA PUSH FOR THAT. UH, THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT, UH, IT IS A CHALLENGE, UH, TO HAVE, BUT THAT THERE'S ALSO BEEN A REQUEST FROM A COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONERS, UH, TO HAVE AN AFTER HOURS MEETING. THOSE ARE CHALLENGES BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THE LABOR ISSUES AND OVERTIME AND ALL THAT, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DO WHAT WE CAN. WE WE'RE LISTENING, WE HEARD THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SCHEDULE THAT MEETING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER HOURS TO DO THE VERY SAME THING. AND SO, UH, LET ME JUST NIP THAT RIGHT NOW IN THE BUD THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THAT. AND WE'RE GONNA ALSO ENCOURAGE OUR LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO COME AND BE NOT ONLY BE SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT TO ATTEND THIS MEETING AS WELL. PROCEEDED PLEASE, AUDI, MY NAME'S CLAYTON TUCKER. I'M THE SECRETARY OF THE TEXAS FARMERS UNION AND I'M REPRESENTING THE LAW OF THE FARMERS AND RANCHERS OF THIS COMMUNITY. WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WATER, HOW THESE THINGS TAKE WATER AND HOW THEY POLLUTE WATER. WE'VE HEARD ABOUT POWER. SOME STATES POWER BILLS ALMOST DOUBLED BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH POWER THESE THINGS TAKE. I WANNA TAKE, REALLY TALK ABOUT TWO THINGS. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT LIVESTOCK? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT COWS, HORSES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. AND THEN WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO ABOUT IT IS I ACTUALLY DISAGREE THAT WE'RE POWERLESS. I BELIEVE WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF POWER THAT WE CAN USE THAT THEY DON'T REALIZE. I TALKED TO A FARMER JUST NORTH OF DALLAS, A DATA CENTER, WENT UP RIGHT ACROSS HIS FARM, TWO STRAIGHT YEARS. NO NEW CALS STILL BURSTS. IF THAT NOISE AND HEAT DOES THAT TO THE CATTLE, WHAT IS IT GONNA DO TO OUR HORSES? HELL, WHAT IS IT GONNA DO TO US? THAT NOISE CAN TRAVEL UP TO FIVE MILES AND THE HEAT DOME, THESE THINGS CREATE, ALSO TRAVEL UP TO FIVE MILES. NOT ONLY DO THEY TAKE OUR WATER, NOT ONLY DO THEY TAKE OUR LAND, NOT ONLY DO THEY CAUSE POLLUTION, BUT THE LIGHT POLLUTION HARMS OUR LIVESTOCK. THE NOISE POLLUTION HARMS OUR LIVESTOCK AND OURSELVES, AND SO IS THE HEAT. AND I WANNA ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM BECAUSE THESE BIG TECH FOLKS, THEY WANT US TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE POWERLESS. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT. THEY SAY WE'RE INEVITABLE. I ACTUALLY DISAGREE. I THINK WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE INEVITABLE BECAUSE THIS IS THE DEAL. I ARGUE THEY'RE ILLEGAL. I DO BELIEVE THESE DATA CENTERS ARE ILLEGAL. TWO POINTS. STATE LAW, THE RIGHT TO QUIET ENJOYMENT. EVERYONE, IF YOU ARE A HOMEOWNER OR YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO QUIET ENJOYMENT OF YOUR PROPERTY. HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE GONNA RIGHT TO QUIET ENJOYMENT WITH THE NOISE, WITH THE HEAT, WITH THE POWER BILLS GOING UP, WITH THE WATER BILLS GOING UP, I SAY THEY VIOLATE THAT LAW. AND THEN FEDERALLY, THE 2024 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT SAYS THAT ANY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN BE USED FOR NATIONAL SECURITY OR MILITARY, WHICH THEY SAID ALL DATA CENTERS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT CANNOT USE COMPONENTS MADE IN CHINA. I PARTLY WORK IN SUPPLY CHAINS. I GUARANTEE YOU THERE ARE PARTS MADE IN CHINA IN EVERY SINGLE DATA CENTER. SO I ARGUE THAT 10 SECONDS, SIR. LAST LITTLE BIT. ONLY ORGANIZED PEOPLE CAN BEAT ORGANIZED MONEY. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY FLOODING IN EVERYWHERE, BUT SO LONG AS WE CAN KEEP THIS UP, AND SO LONG AS YOU CAN KEEP DELAYING, THIS IS A BUBBLE. THE BUBBLE WILL BURST. IF WE DELAY, WE WIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M KATHY KSKY, AND I HAVE THREE POINTS. FIRST, THERE'S BEEN A REAL LACK OF TRANSPARENCY. [02:05:01] HAS ANYBODY SEEN A SITE PLAN? WHY DID I HAVE TO COME UP WITH THIS MYSELF? THIS IS HOW BIG THIS FACILITY COULD BE. IT'S BIGGER THAN THE CITY OF ALITO. THIS IS MASSIVE. WHY DID WE HAVE TO FIND THIS OUT THROUGH THE STAR TELEGRAM THAT THIS WAS COMING? THE SECOND POINT, I RECOGNIZE THAT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS LIMITED IN WHAT IT CAN DO. I RECOGNIZE THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS LIMITED IN WHAT IT CAN DO, AND I APPRECIATE, UM, REPRESENTATIVE KOTT AND HABU FOR HAVING PEOPLE HERE. PHIL KING IS ABSENT. UM, HIS OFFICE IS ABSENT. THE THIRD THING IS THAT, UM, IN JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER STARTING A PETITION, WE HAVE 5,000 SIGNATURES, ALMOST FIVE THOUSAND FOUR THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVEN. AND MOST OF THOSE ARE FROM HERE IN PARKER COUNTY. AND I'LL LEAVE THESE COPIES WITH YOU. THEY'RE VERIFIED BY CHANGE.ORG. WE DO HAVE POWER. PEOPLE HAVE POWER. WE HAVE A VOTE. THERE'S AN ELECTION IN NOVEMBER. BUT MORE THAN THAT, WE NEED TO CALL OUR GOVERNOR TO CALL A SPECIAL SESSION TO DEAL WITH THIS. THESE ISSUES ARE TOO PRESSING, TOO IMPORTANT. CERTAINLY IF THEY CAN CALL A SPECIAL SESSION FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS, THEY COULD CALL ONE OVER DATA CENTERS POWER TO THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS RUTH H****R. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL. I'VE APPRECIATED YOUR COMMENTS, ESPECIALLY YOU IN THE BEGINNING. UM, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE ARE CALLED TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE LAND AND THAT ENCOMPASSES LAND, WATER, ALL THE THINGS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN HELP YOU, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE LIMITED ON WHAT YOU CAN DO, BUT LET US KNOW. I MEAN, DO WE NEED TO GO TO AUSTIN? I'M DOWN. WE CAN DO IT. DO WE NEED TO SEND EMAILS? CALL. YOU HAVE TO TELL US HOW TO HELP YOU, HELP US. UM, I FEEL LIKE THESE GUYS WERE SO SLIMY. THEY COME IN, NOBODY EVEN KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HEAR ABOUT ALL THESE TONS OF DATA CENTERS COMING ALL OVER TEXAS. LIKE WHAT IN THE WORLD'S HAPPENED? SO NOW WE'RE WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A RACE TO, UM, BE BEAT. WHATEVER'S COMING, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE ONE STEP AHEAD OF US. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALL COMMUNICATE TO US. I LIVE A COUPLE OF MILES FROM PEARSON RANCH. UM, I'M VERY DISTURBED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF WHAT COULD GO ON. BUT I WANTED TO SAY, UM, MAYBE IN YOUR RESEARCH OR WHATEVER, HAVE WE DONE A OR CAN WE REQUEST AN ARCHEOLOGICAL UH, INVESTIGATION INTO PEARSON RANCH FOR NATIVE AMERICAN BURIAL SITES? WE HAVE BALD EAGLES. I MEAN, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE LEGITIMATE, ESPECIALLY IN PARKER COUNTY. I MEAN, IT'S POSSIBLE. ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE. ONE OTHER THING, THIS IS OFF THE TOP, OFF THE TOPIC, BUT NOT REALLY. MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER WAS A CO TALKER, NATIVE AMERICAN CO TALKER IN WORLD WAR I. UM, I DIDN'T KNOW HIM. I KNOW HIS LEGACY. I WEAR A NECKLACE THAT REPRESENTS EVERYTHING HE FOUGHT FOR. HE WAS NOT A CITIZEN OF UNITED STATES, 10, 10 SECONDS. BUT I CARRY ON WHAT HE DID FOR US. I CARRIED EVERY DAY. THIS IS A REMINDER. SO I'M TELLING YOU WHAT IS GONNA BE YOUR LEGACY TO YOUR GREAT GRANDKIDS. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, BUT THEY WILL TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING TODAY. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS KAITLYN. I STUDIED ROBOTICS AT WEATHERFORD COLLEGE. AND EVERY DAY I WONDER IF I WILL HAVE THE FUTURE. I WAS PROMISED I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TO SPEAK AGAINST DATA CENTERS. GROWING UP, I DIDN'T THINK I'D EVER ATTEND A MEETING TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST A DATA CENTER THAT WANTS TO POLLUTE OUR AIR AND OUR WATER. AND THAT SOME PEOPLE IN THE WORLD MIGHT FIND THAT CONTROVERSIAL. AMERICA WAS FOUNDED ON THE IDEA THAT IF YOU WORK HARD ENOUGH, YOU CAN BECOME ANYTHING. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT TO SOME EXTENT, AI ADVANCEMENT IS THE FUTURE. BUT WHAT ABOUT MY FUTURE AND THE GENERATIONS AFTER ME? IF WE BUILD A DATA CENTER IN PARKER COUNTY, IT WON'T STOP THERE. THEY WILL KEEP BUILDING MORE AND MORE AND KEEP STEALING RESOURCES FROM US, THE PEOPLE. WILL THERE EVEN BE A PLANET LEFT WHEN I GRADUATE? I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE HERE TODAY THAT THE POWER HAS ALWAYS BEEN WITH THE PEOPLE AND WE DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HI, MY NAME'S CRYSTAL WALLEN AND I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN PARKER COUNTY. I [02:10:01] GRADUATED FROM WEATHERFORD HIGH SCHOOL. I, SORRY. I WENT AWAY AND CAME BACK TO RAISE MY FAMILY HERE. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE PLACE TO GROW UP AND IT'S WHAT I WANTED FOR MY CHILDREN AFTER SEEING WHAT THE WORLD IS, I, I HEARD A LOT THAT I APPRECIATE Y'ALL ARE DOING FOR US AND HOW Y'ALL ARE HELPING US ON OUR BEHALF. ONE THING THAT I HEARD THAT SCARES ME IS FEAR OF A LAWSUIT. THERE ARE WORSE THINGS THAN A LAWSUIT. WE ARE SCARED FOR IF OUR CHILDREN WILL HAVE WATER. WE ARE SCARED IF OUR CHILDREN WILL HAVE HOMES AND WE ARE SCARED IF OUR CHILDREN HAVE A FUTURE AT ALL. A LAWSUIT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THAT. TEXAS WAS NOT MADE BY WEAK PEOPLE. WE FOUGHT AT THE ALAMO THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER. WE, WE, WE FOUGHT AT THE ALAMO AND WE REMEMBER THE ALAMO. WE FOUGHT AT THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO AND WE ARE THE PLACE OF THE COME AND TAKE IT. CANNON. REMEMBER YOUR HISTORY AND WHO YOU CAME FROM, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DEBORAH HENSLEY. I LIVE IN CRESCENT. MY CONCERNS ARE BLACK MOUNTAIN IS KNOWN AS AN ENERGY COMPANY. SO WHO WILL OWN THIS FACILITY AFTER CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE. I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT ADDRESSED AND DIDN'T SEE IT IN ANY OF THE RESOLUTION. SO WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THIS? IS IT AMAZON? IS IT GOOGLE? AND MY CONCERN WITH A COMPANY LIKE AMAZON, GOOGLE META CHINA IS HEAVILY INVOLVED WITH THESE COMPANIES. AND I EVEN ASKED A QUESTION SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, UH, WHEN THEY WERE PUTTING IN THE TOWERS FOR THE 5G SEVEN G OR WHATEVER IT WAS. UM, IS IT A POSSIBILITY THAT WE HAVE MALWARE? SO WHEN THESE DATA CENTERS ARE BEING BUILT, ARE THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE BUILDING OR GOING INTO THESE FROM CHINA? WE KNOW THAT CHINA WORKS OFF OF A CREDIT SCORE AND THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY, AS THE YOUNG LADY SAID, THE 2030 AGENDA. BUT MORE SO THAN THAT, CHINA IS ALREADY SPYING ON US HEAVILY. AND WITH US BUILDING THESE DATA CENTERS THROUGHOUT AMERICA, THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE LOSE CONTROL. AND THESE GUYS WILL DO US THE SAME WAY THEY, THAT THEY'RE DOING THE CHINESE PEOPLE UNDER THE COMMUNIST PARTY, THEY ARE RUNNING THEIR LIVES. WE WILL NO LONGER HAVE ABILITY POSSIBLY TO MANAGE OUR OWN BANK ACCOUNTS ANYMORE. WE'LL BE TOLD WHAT WE WILL BUY IN GROCERY STORES. SO POSSIBLY. SO I'M ASKING THAT WE, UH, DEFINITELY LOOK AT WHO WILL OWN THIS DATA CENTER AFTER IT'S OVER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JACOB LANE. I GREW UP IN AZEL IN PRECINCT ONE. UM, I'VE GROWN UP AROUND FORT WORTH AND, UH, WEATHERFORD ALL MY LIFE. I LOVE THE AREA. I'VE LOVED TO LIVE HERE. MY FATHER WAS JIM LANE. HE WAS A COUNCILMAN FOR THE FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL. AND HE ALWAYS TOLD ME ONE THING THAT HE WAS ALWAYS DISAPPOINTED IN HIMSELF FOR WAS ALLOWING CERTAIN TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT IN ALLIANCE THAT HAS CAUSED HORRIBLE TRAFFIC ISSUES. THINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN YEARS TO BUILD HIGHWAYS THAT ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. AND MY QUESTION IS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE DATA CENTERS DON'T DRIVE OUT OUR RESOURCES, JUST HOW IT HAS IN ALLIANCE WITH CERTAIN DEVELOPMENT HOMES GOING UP OVER THERE, THINGS LIKE THAT. HOW ARE WE SURE THAT THIS DATA CENTER IS NOT GOING TO TAKE ALL OF OUR RESOURCES AND LEAVE US BONE DRY? AS WE'VE ALREADY SEEN, IT'S STRIPPING PEOPLE OF WATER, IT'S STRIPPING PEOPLE OF BASIC NECESSITIES THAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR LIVES. SO I WOULD ASK YOU ALL TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU'VE BEEN ELECTED TO DO AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF EVERYONE'S REQUESTS AND FIGHTING LIKE HELL FOR US, JUST LIKE ANY TEXAN SHOULD. HI, MY NAME IS DEBBIE FURLOW. I'VE BEEN A PARKER COUNTY RESIDENT FOR 18 YEARS NOW, AND MY CONCERN IS ALSO, I'M NOT A TREE HUGGER, I PROMISE. BUT I DO LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT AND I FEEL LIKE THE WORDING IN THIS NEEDS [02:15:01] TO BE A LITTLE STRONGER ON FEDERAL PROTECTED BIRDS, SUCH AS THE BALD EAGLE THAT NEST AT LAKE WEATHERFORD AND OTHER PROTECTED SPECIES. NOW I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, FIGHTING TEXAS, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BUT OKAY, LET'S TAKE IT FEDERAL. LET'S TAKE IT ABOVE. OKAY, THERE, THERE'S ANIMALS THAT ARE PROTECTED THAT, UM, OUR, THE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT OF THIS IS NOT AS STRONG AS IT PROBABLY COULD BE, UM, TO PROTECT OUR ANIMALS. WE ALL KNOW THAT. UM, UH, THIS IS VERY HARMFUL TO HUMANS, WHICH I'M, I WOULD JUST LOVE FOR US TO SAY THAT THAT WAS THE END OF IT. BUT ALSO OUR ANIMALS ARE IMPORTANT TO US AND OUR ENVIRONMENT. AND IF THAT'S THE WAY TO FIGHT IT, MAYBE THAT'S THE LOOPHOLE. WE NEED TO FIGHT IT FEDERALLY. UM, BECAUSE, UH, WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANY BIOLOGISTS IN THE AREA THAT CAN HELP US, UM, GET NUMBERS AS TO HOW MANY BIRDS AND, UM, OF THESE ANIMALS THAT WE HAVE, MAYBE WE CAN FIGHT THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL WAY. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, DID THE PUC APPROVE THE FIVE TO SIX NATURAL GAS TURBINES FOR THE LAKE WEATHERFORD PROPOSED, UM, PROJECT? WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS, UM, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THOSE FIVE NATURAL GAS TURBINES WERE ALREADY APPROVED. WHERE WAS THE TRANSPARENCY ON THAT? I DON'T SEE THE PUC GUY TO ANSWER THAT. UH, I WILL, I'LL I'LL ADDRESS THAT TO HIM LATER, BUT THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD QUESTION FOR Y'ALL, HOW THOSE GOT ALREADY APPROVED UNDER THE TABLE. NOT SURE IF LINE'S POCKETS WERE INVOLVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AFTERNOON OR MORNING STILL. HI, I'M ADRIANA TRADER, RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY PRECINCT ONE. THANK YOU FOR BEING ON OUR SIDE. BUT IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF FORTITUDE AND A LOT OF RESOLVE TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR ALL OF US. I'VE EVER SINCE TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL PROJECT, I LIVED IN TERROR PAIN. I ACHE EVERY DAY. THIS IS CONSUMING MY THOUGHTS. I WORRY ABOUT MY CHILDREN. I HAVE THREE. I WORRY ABOUT THEIR FUTURE. I WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE OF EVERYBODY HERE, ALL THEIR CHILDREN, THEIR LIVESTOCK. I CALLED A RESIDENT OF BEAVER COUNTY, WISCONSIN. SHE SHARED WITH ME THE PAIN THAT THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH. AND I WILL READ A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT I FOUND. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT LACK OF TRANSPARENCY. IT'S A PLAYBOOK, GUYS. THIS IS WHAT THE DATA CENTERS THRIVE ON. IT'S A FULL PLAYBOOK THAT'S BEEN SHARED WITH ME, THESE DATA CENTERS. UM, OKAY, SO SHE SPOKE OF A FRAGMENTED SYSTEM. THEY THRIVE ON THESE COUNTIES. WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RIGHT PROTECTIONS, UM, UNKNOWN AUTHORITY. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE DATA CENTER IS UP AND US RESIDENTS ARE LEFT WITH NO OR LIMIT OR WATER SUPPLY WITH UNNATURAL 24 7 NOISE DISRUPTIONS, EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT PFAS CONTAMINATION. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE PROJECT IS OVER AND RESIDENTS ARE NOW LEFT TO PROVE THE DAMAGE AFTER THE FACT AT OUR OWN EXPENSE. NOW WE HAVE WATER TESTS, ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO IN ORDER FOR US TO PROVE THAT THEY DID SOMETHING WRONG TO US. WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT? WHY CAN'T WE PREVENT THEM FROM COMING HERE FROM THE, IN THE FIRST PLACE? PERMEABLE LAND? I I I ASKED FOR, I'VE ASKED FOR 20 SECONDS. PERMEABLE LAND WILL BECOME CONCRETE, ADDING HEAT, LOSS OF WATER. WHO WANTS TO LIVE NEXT TO A DATA CENTER? A DATA CENTER BEGETS ANOTHER DATA CENTER, ANOTHER DATA CENTER AND SO ON. IT WILL BE THE DESTRUCT OF OUR COUNTY. THIS IS FROM MY SON. HE, HE BUILT IT IN SCHOOL AND THIS IS ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT. PLEASE, LET'S PROTECT OUR HOME, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS SHELLY MCCARTY AND I AM IN PRECINCT 4, 4, 5. MR. HALE IS MY COMMISSIONER. AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR, UM, HOLDING THIS MEETING. I DO APPRECIATE YOUR LISTENING TO ALL OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. AND I DID WANT TO JUST SHARE [02:20:01] WITH YOU THAT ON THURSDAY HILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO END THE ONE YEAR DATA CENTER MORATORIUM AND ADOPTED A DEVELOPER CHECKLIST RESCINDING THE PAUSE JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER ITS IMPLEMENTATION. DEVELOPER RCM HILL LLC FILED A $100 MILLION LAWSUIT ON MAY 27TH, ARGUING THE COUNTY EXCEEDED ITS LAWFUL POWERS BY PASSING THE MORATORIUM, WHICH THREATENED THEIR ABILITY TO MEET STATE INTERCONNECTION STANDARDS. SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER COUNTIES THAT ARE REALLY STANDING AND FIGHTING THIS. AND I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU THAT YOU CAN DO THIS. WE DO NOT WANT DATA CENTERS IN PARKER COUNTY. AND I, IT MADE ME THINK TODAY OF GILLISPIE COUNTY AND HOW THAT THEY NOW HAND COUNT ALL OF THEIR BALLOTS. THEY STOOD UP AND THAT'S WHAT THEY GOT. AND SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU, WE ARE ASKING, AND WE ARE BELIEVING IN YOU THAT YOU CAN STAND AGAINST THIS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DON CRESSMAN. I'M A RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY FOR ABOUT 50 PLUS YEARS. MY COMMENTS ARE ADDRESSED TO JOHN. JOHN, I, UH, WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, I ALSO AM AN ATTORNEY. I'M A FORMER DISTRICT JUDGE IN THIS COUNTY. AS I WAS DOING MY RESEARCH, JOHN, I FOUND THAT PARKER COUNTY DOES HAVE SOME POWER. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO HAVE A FIRE AND SAFETY REVIEW. HAVE YOU HAD THAT? YES, WE HAVE THAT ON. HAVE YOU HAD, HAS YOUR FIRE MARSHAL LOOKED AT ALL OF THE THINGS HE CAN LOOK AT? AND THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE CHECKLIST THAT GOES THROUGH ALL THE STATUTORY AUTHORITIES THAT WE DO HAVE. WE, WE DIDN'T ADDRESS THAT EARLY ON, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE LOOKED AT. AND MATTER OF FACT HERE ON MY NOTES, IT TALKS ABOUT, UH, FIRE MARSHAL BEING ABLE TO CHECK THOSE STRUCTURES. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT. UH, WE HAD AN EXPERT ON FIRE PROTECTION, A FEW, UH, SPEAKERS EARLIER. AND FROM WHAT HE SAID, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT YOU HAVE SOME, UH, AMMUNITION FROM HIM THAT CAN BE UTILIZED IN HAVING A, A PROPER FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM THERE. BUT I'M GONNA MOVE ON. YOU ALSO HAVE FLOOD PLAIN DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. IT'S ALSO ON THE CHECKLIST. HAS THAT BEEN LOOKED AT? UH, YES. AND THAT'S THROUGH PERMITTING. AND THAT IS ALSO ON THE CHECKLIST THAT, THAT'S PART OF THE STATUTORY CHECKLIST. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING IS HAS THAT ALREADY BEEN DONE? IS THERE A PERMIT BEEN ISSUED? THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PERMIT ISSUED. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT THE, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS THE RIGHT TO DO. ALSO, SEWAGE FACILITIES, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE DOING ALL OF THAT ALSO ON THE LIST AND THAT THAT'S THE PERMIT. AND THE OSSF RULES AND REGULATIONS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. AND EVERYTHING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WILL BE ENFORCED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. STORMWATER ALSO ON THE LIST, BUT THE MAIN ONE I WANT YOU TO TALK TO ME ABOUT IS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH REGARD TO NUISANCE CONDITIONS? NUISANCE, ANYBODY IN HERE KNOW WHAT A NUISANCE IS? I WOULD SAY IT'S AN AI CENTER . SURE. SO IF YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LOOK AT THEM WITH REGARD TO HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE AND DETERMINE THAT AN AI CENTER WOULD BE A NUISANCE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT MAYBE YOU DO HAVE SOME POWER ON? AND THAT WILL BE SOMETHING WE'LL LOOK INTO. AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD, A PUBLIC HEALTH RISK, HEALTH AND SAFETY. ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT YOU DO HAVE THE POWER. SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU GUYS DO HAVE SOME POWER. SO THEREFORE THEY WOULD TELL YOU, EXERCISE YOUR POWER AND TAKE IT TO COURT IF YOU NEED TO, BECAUSE THESE ARE ELEMENTS THAT PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE IN HERE EARLY WHEN I HAD MY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CHECKLIST THAT'S OUT OF HILL COUNTY AND ALL THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY. ALL OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT UP ARE DEFINITELY IN THERE. AND THAT'S [02:25:01] WHAT WE'RE VISITING WITH OTHER COUNTIES. UH, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE STATUTORILY IMPOSED CURRENTLY 100% TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, WE ARE GOING TO ENFORCE THOSE. WELL, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM UNDERSTANDS THEY DO HAVE POWER. DON, IF YOU WOULD WAIT YOUR VOICE SECOND. I WANNA, I WANNA YOU'RE AT THREE MINUTES AND 58 SECONDS AND THERE'S NO WAY I WAS GONNA STOP WHAT YOU WERE DOING. I I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING TO HAVE SOMEONE OF YOUR CALIBER AND YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE BEEN TO THIS COUNTY FOR HOW MANY YEARS? 40, 30. I I DON'T WANT TO AID YOU HERE. UH, BE CAREFUL. BE CAREFUL. BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING. THE THINGS THAT YOU BROUGHT UP THAT, UM, ARE, ARE, ARE KEY PIECES OF INFORMATION FOR US AS WE DEAL WITH THIS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MORNING. MY NAME IS ROBERT LUPER. I'M A, UH, A PARKER COUNTY RESIDENT OF PRECINCT THREE 50. UH, OOH. THANK YOU. THERE WE GO. MY NAME IS ROBERT LUPER. I'M A PARKER COUNTY RESIDENT OF PRECINCT THREE 50. UH, AND I'M HERE JUST TO, TO REALLY CHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WATER USAGE. WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT ENERGY USAGE. WE KNOW THAT PARKER COUNTY IS UNDER MASSIVE STRAIN AND HAS BEEN UNDER MASSIVE STRAIN. US CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS THAT WE'VE SEEN A 24% POPULATION INCREASE FROM 2020 TO 2025. THAT'S A LOT OF WATER. WHENEVER MY FAMILY MOVED HERE IN 2011 WHEN I WAS SEVEN, WE WERE ALREADY UNDER WATER RESTRICTIONS FROM OUR WELLS OUT IN PRECINCT THREE 50. HOW CAN WE DO THIS? AND, AND THE THING IS, IS THAT THERE WAS, THERE WAS A FORMER SPEAKER EARLIER THAT ASKED THE QUESTION OF WHY ARE THEY EVEN LOOKING AT US IF THEY KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE WATER? AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW IF WE GIVE THEM ONE, WE'LL GIVE THEM MORE. AND THAT CAN'T STAND. WE HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT OUR HERITAGE. WE HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT OUR WAY OF LIFE. AND IF WE LET THESE THINGS GO, THERE'LL BE MORE AND MORE. AND THE BEAUTIFUL PASTORS THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME AND MY FAMILY MOVED HERE FOR WILL BE COVERED WITH CONCRETE, JUST WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE DFW AREA. SO THANK YOU GENTLEMEN FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THIS MATTER. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. IS IT STILL MORNING ? YES. UH, MY NAME IS KAY PAR. UH, I'VE LIVED IN PARKER COUNTY, UH, ABOUT 20 YEARS NOW. AND, UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM TO SEE THE PEOPLE OF PARKER COUNTY HERE TODAY TALKING TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT, ARE YOU REALLY REPRESENTING ME? AND I WANTED TO, TO, YOU KNOW, I CAN ECHO CHAMBER, ALL, ALL OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, ALL OF OUR CONCERNS ABOUT OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY, OUR WATER RESOURCES, ALL THAT. BUT I WANT YOU TO PLEASE STEP BACK, EACH OF YOU AND TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE, THIS CAME TO OUR ATTENTION. IT WAS A SMALL LINE ITEM THAT SAID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND SO I AM, I'M CHALLENGING EACH OF YOU. LET'S LOOK AND SEE WHO IS MAKING MONEY OFF THIS. SOMEBODY IS MAKING A LOT OF MONEY OFF THIS. AND IF, IF WE ARE, IF WE ARE IN PARKER COUNTY, KEPT FROM DEFENDING OURSELVES BECAUSE OF STATE LAWS, WE PUT THOSE REPRESENTATIVES IN THOSE SEATS, WE CAN TAKE THEM OUT. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION. THEY'VE GOT A WEBSITE IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHO GOT CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BLACK MOUNTAIN. GO LOOK AND SEE, LOOK AND SEE IF GREG ABBOTT GOT A CON CONTRIBUTION WITH GREG ABBOTT LATELY, OR MAYBE OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE, MR. OTT. UH, AND OUR OTHERS BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE NAMES OF THESE CORPORATIONS THAT ARE COMING IN AND LOOK AND SEE WHO THEY ARE MAKING POLITICAL DONATIONS TO IN BIG NUMBERS. AND THE NEXT THING IS, I JUST WANNA SAY, YOUR VOTE COUNTS. PLEASE SHOW UP AND VOTE, AND PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO WHO YOU'RE VOTING FOR AND WHAT THEY REALLY STAND FOR. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS CHRISTINE OLTA. I DID NOT COME HERE WITH A PREPARED STATEMENT, BUT I COULD NOT MISS AN [02:30:01] OPPORTUNITY TO STAND AND BE SEEN WITH MY NEIGHBORS. I REALLY APPRECIATE HEARING FROM MY NEIGHBORS AND SEEING THIS TURNOUT AND EXPRESSING THEIR CONCERNS. I LIVE AT SEVEN 30 AND TUCKER, I'M ADJACENT TO WHAT USED TO BE KNOWN AS THE BULL GOOSE RANCH. I HAVE WATERSHED THAT RUNS THROUGH MY PROPERTY FROM THAT PROPERTY. IF THIS WAS TO MOVE FORWARD, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOMEONE ELSE THAT WOULD BE DIRECTLY IMPACTED. NOT TO MENTION THE WILDLIFE THAT IT, THAT I AM A STEWARD OF. I HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY FOR 30 YEARS, A RESPONSIBLE LANDOWNER FOR AGRICULTURE FOR 25 YEARS. I, I'M QUIET, I KEEP MY HEAD DOWN, I DO MY THING, BUT I'M READY TO STAND AND FIGHT. AND I KNOW THAT I'M NOT GOING TO SAY EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF REALLY GREAT INFORMATION. I UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THE RIGHT THING IS NOT THE EASY THING TO DO AND THAT WE ARE WILLING TO STAND AND I AM URGING YOU TO STAND AND FIGHT AND STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING. I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. IT'S A RHETORICAL ONE. IT NO DUMB QUESTIONS, BUT ARE THERE DEED RESTRICTIONS THAT WE AS RESIDENTS CAN PUT ON OUR PROPERTIES WHEN WE, WHEN WE SELL OR AS WE'RE WE'RE MOVING PROPERTY OWNERSHIPS? JUST A QUESTION. WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. I'M NANCY FAUST AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION OF THIS WORLD CHANGING TOPIC. THIS FACILITY WILL CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE, WATER, AIR, SOIL, AND HABITAT OF NOT ONLY OUR PRECIOUS PARKER COUNTY, BUT OUR HOMES, LIVESTOCK, LIVELIHOODS, AND INVESTMENTS. THIS WILL ALSO BE THE CHANGING FOR ALL OF US. NOT ONLY THE BEAUTIFUL SCENIC ROLLING HILLS AND VIEWS OF THE BULL GOOSE AND PEARSON RANCHES WILL DISAPPEAR, BUT OUR LIVES HELP AND LIFE SAVINGS AS WELL. I WAS LISTENING TO COMMENTS ON THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD WATER PLAN FOR 2027 A WEEK OR SO AGO. THERE WAS ONE WOMAN'S COMMENTS THAT, THAT REALLY CAUGHT ME. SHE WORKS IN AI. SHE BUILT, SHE HAS BEEN WORKING FOR A COMPANY THAT BUILDS DATA CENTERS. SHE CALLED HERSELF A STRATEGIC FUTURIST STUDYING THE INTERNET. SHE'S SPENT OVER SIX YEARS WORKING FOR THE DATA CENTER COMPANY AND SHE CONTINUES TO WORK AS A CHIEF AI ARCHITECT AND FUTURIST IN AI CONSULTING COMPANY. SHE SPOKE ABOUT THE PORT IMPORTANCE OF WATER, TECHNICAL COMPONENTS OF WATER OF OF THE, IN THE, UM, DATA CENTERS HAVE TO BE COOLED BY WATER. THE WATER IS USED TO REMOVE WASTE FROM THE EQUIPMENT. WATER THAT'S CAN BE REUSED ON A LIMITED BASIS, BUT AFTER WHICH IS CONTAMINATED WITH PFAS AND CANNOT BE RETURNED TO THE WATER SYSTEM ARE ALLOWED BACK IN OUR AQUIFER. THESE THINGS WE MUST KEEP CONTROL OF IN CASE OF WATER SHORTAGES. WILL WE BE FORCED TO LIMIT OUR WATER USAGE SO THAT THE AI PLANTS CAN KEEP RUNNING IN HER SIMPLE CALCULATIONS? THE ANNUAL WATER IMPACT OF THE DATA CENTER SHE STATED WAS 1.06 TRILLION GALLONS, WHICH TRANSFERS TRANSLATES TO ROUGHLY 3.25 MILLION ACRE FEET OF WATER ANNUALLY. LACK OF REPORTINGS OF THESE COMPANIES INHIBITS ACCURATE FORECASTS. LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO SAY I REQUESTED AN ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES IN THE FIVE MILE BUBBLE OF THE DATA CENTER LOCATION. THERE ARE ROUGHLY 8,606 PROPERTIES IN THAT BUBBLE THAT WILL ALL BE DIRECTLY AFFECTED. THESE PROPERTIES WILL POTENTIALLY EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF VALUE TOO EARLY TO PREDICT. BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED AS IT WILL DIRECTLY AFFECT OUR COUNTY BUDGET. YOU HAVE BEEN DEDICATED TO THE TASK OF IMPROVING THIS COUNTY FROM THE DAY YOU TOOK OFFICE. PLEASE MAKE THAT DECISION GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. I'M DAVID SHUFFLER. UH, TECHNOLOGY IS IN OUR LIVES AND IT'S NOT LEAVING. I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BACK OFF. I'VE NEVER SEEN IT SLOW DOWN. UH, I WAS BORN IN THE ERA OF TELEVISION. WHEN YOU RECEIVE SIGNALS FROM THE ERA FOR ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS AND INFORMATION, YOU ALSO HAD A ROTARY TELEPHONE SETTING ON YOUR KITCHEN COUNTER OR SOMEWHERE LIKE THAT. THEN ALONG CAME AND SINCE THIS CAME, I HAVE NOT ENJOYED TECHNOLOGY ANY AT ALL. ONE TECHNOLOGY THAT I HAVE ENJOYED THAT NOBODY IS SPEAKING ABOUT AND WE NEED TO START USING BETTER IN. AND EVERYTHING IS RIGHT ABOVE OUR [02:35:01] HEAD. IT'S CALLED SOLAR. IT'S AN INITIAL COST. I USE IT. I HAVE SOLAR AND IT'S AN INITIAL COST. AND THEN AFTER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR POWER. I DRIVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. I THINK THAT'S THE GREATEST TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE AND, UH, I ENJOY THEM TECHNOLOGY. SO THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY AND I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS LINDA HIDALGO. I LIVE AT 4 8 9 HENKEL LANE. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS MEETING VIA JACOB HOLT THROUGH A FACEBOOK POST TWO WEEKS AGO. I LOST MY WHATEVER VERY UPSET BECAUSE I HAD NO IDEA A DATA CENTER WAS BEING BUILT CLOSE TO MY HOME. I DON'T GET RILED UP. WELL THAT'S INCORRECT. WHEN I DO GET RILED, IT'S NOT PLEASANT AND I AM UNPLEASANT RIGHT NOW. I'M UPSET THAT WE HAVE HAD SUCH A LACK OF COMMUNICATION TO US REGARDING THIS BUILDING. I FEEL I PERSONALLY FELT THERE WAS LOTS OF UNDER THE TABLE DEALINGS FOR THINGS TO BE FAST TRACKED WITHOUT THE ALLOWANCE OF THE CONSTITUENCIES TO HAVE AN INPUT INTO A DECISION THAT RELATES TO OUR COUNTY. WE WERE NOT GIVEN THE PROPER NOTIFICATION. OH, I KNOW THAT PROBABLY POSTED IN A PAPER. OH, THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGICAL AGE. WHO READS IT THE LAST TIME? I DON'T EVEN LOOK AT NEWSPAPERS UNLESS I'M IN THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE. IT'S IN ABOUT A YEAR OLD NEWS EDITION. I'M JUST SUGGESTING AS EARLIER OUR COMMUNICATION IN THEIR LACK OF, AND LAST, IT APPEARS A LITTLE BIT OF, OH, WELLNESS FROM OUR CONSTITUENCIES THAT WE MUST ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO KEEP US INFORMED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA NOW. 'CAUSE THAT'S HOW WE ALL WORK. ABOUT 10 SECONDS, MA'AM. YES, SIR. AND I WOULD APPRECIATE A MORE IN-DEPTH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE TESTING AND THE STATE OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DONE FOR OUR FUTURE AND GOING FORWARD FOR FURTHER DATA CENTERS THAT ARE GOING TO GET HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UH, MY NAME IS MARY ANN BORREGAARD. I SPENT 45 YEARS IN THE SILICON VALLEY AS A NETWORK ENGINEER. I BEEN CAN YOU SPEAK UP IN THAT BACK PLEASE? I SPENT 45 YEARS IN THE SILICON VALLEY AS A NETWORK ENGINEER. I'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO MANY, MANY DATA CENTERS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE ONES THAT CONNECTED THE 11 WESTERN STATES WITH DARPA SLASH THE INTERNET. UM, I'M HERE FOR, TO OFFER A SOLUTION. UM, I THINK THAT FROM, FROM THE POWER STANDPOINT, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE NOT REQUIRING THESE DATA CENTERS TO GO TO NUCLEAR POWER AND MOVE THEM OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I CAN'T RESOLVE THIS, THE WATER ISSUE, BUT I WOULD MAKE BILL GATES OR MARK ZUCKERBERG GET THEIR CHECKBOOK OUT AND PAY FOR THAT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO BE PUT ON THE SAME PLACE AS THE DATA A THE DATA AI CENTER. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALANA HUNT. I'M A RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY AND I LIVE ON SEVEN 30 AND GRACE LANE. OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE OFTEN REFLECTED ON THAT NAME IN THE BIBLE, GRACE IS MORE THAN KINDNESS. GRACE IS THE UNEARNED FAVOR OF GOD. IT IS HIS PROTECTION, HIS PROVISION, AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO DWELL WITH HIS PEOPLE AND BLESS THEM. I THINK ABOUT THAT TODAY BECAUSE MY FAMILY AND MY NEIGHBORS ARE STANDING BEFORE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOME POWER OVER THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE NOT A CORPORATION, WE ARE NOT INVESTORS. WE ARE NOT A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. WE ARE FAMILIES. WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE POURED OUR LIVES INTO THIS PLACE. WE HAVE WORKED FOR OUR HOMES, PAID THEM OFF, CARED FOR OUR LAND, RAISED OUR CHILDREN HERE, AND BUILT RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE THIS COMMUNITY WHAT IT IS. AND TODAY MANY OF US ARE GRIEVING. WE ARE GRIEVING THE UNCERTAINTY THAT HANGS OVER OUR FUTURE. WE ARE GRIEVING BECAUSE IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE DECISIONS OF ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCE MAY BE MADE WITHOUT FULLY CONSIDERING [02:40:01] THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BEAR THOSE CONSEQUENCES EVERY DAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT GROWTH BRINGS OPPORTUNITIES. I UNDERSTAND THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS VALUE, BUT I BELIEVE THAT GOVERNMENT EXISTS FIRST TO SERVE AND PROTECT ITS PEOPLE. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THOSE ENTRUSTED WITH AUTHORITY HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO CARE FOR THOSE UNDER THEIR STEWARDSHIP. AUTHORITY IS NOT MERELY THE POWER TO APPROVE PROJECTS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DEFEND THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PLACED THEIR TRUST IN YOU. I ASK YOU TO REMEMBER THE FAMILIES WHO LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY. I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER WHAT IT MEANS TO GOVERN WITH GRACE TO SEE US NOT AS PARCELS ON A MAP OR OBSTACLES TO DEVELOPMENT, BUT AS NEIGHBORS WHOSE LIVES, HOMES, HEALTH AND FUTURES WILL BE SHAPED BY THESE DECISIONS. MY HOPE IS THAT GRACE WILL NOT SIMPLY BE THE NAME OF THE ROAD IN WHICH I LIVE ON, BUT THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS COMMUNITY CHOOSES A PATH FORWARD. TODAY I AM ASKING FOR GRACE, NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE EARNED IT, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE INFLUENCE, BUT NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE INFLUENCE OR MORE MONEY THAN THOSE SEEKING THIS DEVELOPMENT. BUT BECAUSE GRACE IS SHOWN PRECISELY WHEN THOSE THINGS ARE ABSENT, I IMPLORE YOU TO CONSIDER THE HUMAN COST OF THESE DECISIONS. MA'AM, 10 MORE SECONDS. I ASK YOU TO COURAGEOUSLY SIDE WITH YOUR RE RESIDENCE AND WE ASK YOU TO HELP US HELP OURSELVES. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS LAIR HOUSTON. I LIVE AT 1502 RLE ROAD. IT'S APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILES FROM THE CURRENT, UH, GAS TURBINE. SO WE SEE THAT FROM OUR BACKYARD. WE'VE LIVED THERE ABOUT FOUR YEARS. IT'S TWO ACRES. MY HUSBAND JUST RETIRED FROM 35 YEARS AS AN ARLINGTON FIREMAN ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. HE HAS SPENT THE MAJORITY OF THE LAST THREE YEARS OUTSIDE EVERY DAY BUILDING POLLINATOR GARDENS PONDS. WE GO TO THE, WE GO TO LAKE WEATHERFORD, WE LOOK AT THE EAGLES. WHEN WE MOVED OUT HERE, WE WANTED TO SEE THE STARS. WE HAD BATS THAT WE SIT OUT AND WE WATCH, COME OUT AT NIGHT, FLOW ABOVE OUR POOL, FLY ABOVE OUR POOL, ALL OF THESE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY PUT THE FOUR NEW TURBINES IN THERE. THIS WINTER WE WERE ICED IN. ONE OF THOSE TURBINES WENT OFF AND IT, I WAS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT FOR 17 YEARS. I COULD HEAR IT INSIDE MY HOUSE LIKE IT WAS A JET ENGINE. AND NOW THEY'RE GONNA PUT FIVE UP. NOT TO MENTION THE PARTICULATE MATTER, THE, THE POLLUTION THAT CAUSES, WE KNOW IT CAUSES CANCER. GAS IS A DIRT, IT'S DIRTY. WE KNOW THAT. I MEAN THAT'S A NO-BRAINER. THAT'S ALL I GOTTA SAY. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME AND SPOKE SO ELOQUENTLY AND SO SMARTLY AND YOU'VE DONE SUCH GOOD RESEARCH. THIS IS CRUSHING TO US. IT IS OUR LIFE'S INVESTMENT. IT'S OUR PROPERTY. WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO, WHEN WE WERE TOO OLD, MANAGE IT ANYMORE TO BE ABLE TO SELL IT AT A NICE BEAUTIFUL PROFIT TO LEAVE TO OUR GRANDKIDS. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO IT'S IN YOUR HANDS. I HOPE YOU DO THE RIGHT THING. THANK YOU. HOWDY. UH, MY NAME IS LARRY KELLERMAN. I WAS NOT BORN IN TEXAS, BUT AS THE SAYING GOES, I GOT HERE AS SOON AS I COULD. IT HAD BEEN A LITTLE OVER 30 YEARS. LIVED IN THE CITY, MOVED OUT TO THIS SLICE OF PARADISE ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO, AND NOW PARADISE IS UNDER ATTACK AND WE MUST RESPOND. THIS MEETING WAS A GOOD START. GOOD COMMUNICATION. SOME GOOD EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION HAS BEEN GOING ON. AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS TWO WAY. GIVE INFORMATION, RECEIVE IT, RESPOND BACK. I'D LIKE TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS OF EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THIS DATA CENTER. IF YOU'RE NOT IN FAVOR OF IT, RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S VISUAL COMMUNICATION. NOT ONLY IS IT COMMUNICATION, I THINK IT'S A MANDATE FOR YOU FOLKS. LEAD US WE'LL. FIGHT LIKE TEXANS THAT LEAD US LIKE TEXANS. WE DON'T KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF RESOLUTIONS, COMMITTEE MEETINGS, LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, HOW THAT ALL WORKS. YOU FOLKS, DO YOUR PROFESSIONALS AT THAT LEAD US? [02:45:02] TELL US WHERE TO BE. WE'LL BE THERE. TELL US WHAT TO DO. WE'LL DO IT. WE'RE TEXANS. WE WILL FIGHT LIKE TEXANS. REMEMBER THE ALAMO WE'LL FIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MORNING. THANK YOU JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS ANGELA CORSEY. I LIVE IN MILSAP. UM, TODAY I'M ASKING YOU TO GO A STEP FURTHER THAN WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE GONE THROUGH. AND AS THE GENTLEMAN BEHIND OR IN FRONT OF ME AS ALREADY STATED, LEAD US THE MILLS THAT BULLDOGS HAS A QUOTE THAT SAYS, ACT LIKE MEN. BUT I HOPE TO CHANGE IT ONE DAY TO LEAD LIKE MEN. THERE'S A HISTORIC FLAG THAT ALSO FLIES OVER THE STATE THAT SAYS, COME AND TAKE IT. RIGHT NOW. THOSE GLOBAL MONOPOLIES ARE MARCHING TOWARDS OUR COUNTY LINE TO DO EXACTLY THAT. THEY'RE COMING FOR OUR WATER, THEY'RE COMING FOR OUR GRID AND THEY'RE COMING FOR OUR WAY OF LIFE. BUT WE, THE PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP AND WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO TAKE IT. IF YOU LOOK ACROSS OUR ENTIRE COUNTY IN OUR COUNTRY, THE CORPORATE GIANTS OF MICROSOFT ARE ACTING LIKE IN BACK THE BACKING DOWN RETRACTING STATEMENTS AND WITHDRAWING THEIR NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS BECAUSE THE LIGHT OF THE PUBLIC EXPOSURE IS SIMPLY TOO HOT FOR THEM TO HIDE IN. TODAY I'M CALLING ON THIS COURT TO IMPLEMENT THREE DIRECT SOLUTIONS IMMEDIATELY WEAPONIZE THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 2 32, PROTECT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEMAND. ABSOLUTE TRANSPARENCY. OUR COUNTY USES 26.8 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER AND WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT HAND OVER 20% OF OUR DAILY WATER TO SUPPLY AN AUTOMATED CORPORATION FOOTPRINT. THUS TRIPS OUR LAND AND GIVES NOTHING BACK. WE ASK THAT YOU LOOK PAST THE CORPORATE PRESSURE AND STAND IN THE GAP BETWEEN US AND SHOW THE STATE, SHOW THE YOUNG MEN WATCHING WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN TEXAS LEADERS DRAW A LINE IN THE STAND ABOUT 10 SECONDS. NOT ON OUR WATCH AND NOT WITH OUR HOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HOWDY. I'M NOT AN AGGIE, BUT MY SON IS. DOES THAT COUNT? , I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. I KNOW A FEW OF YOU PERSONALLY. I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE PRAYING. I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND I KEEP HEARING THE WORD COURAGE, SO I WANNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A STORY 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT A POPULAR WORD RIGHT NOW. COURAGE. UM, CANCEL CULTURE DOESN'T LIKE IT, RIGHT? NOT ON MY WATCH. I'M OLD ENOUGH TO SEE THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. UM, MY PARENTS MET AFTER WORLD WAR II. MY DAD BOMBED MY MOM. HE FLEW 42 MISSIONS, WAS A DECORATED SOLDIER, CAME BACK WITH HIS CREW, 42 MISSIONS WITH HIS SAME CREW BECAUSE HE HAD COURAGE. I WAS RAISED UNDER COURAGE. MY MOM SAW JEWISH CHILDREN TAKEN FROM HER CLASS. HER SISTER WENT TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP HELPING GERMAN SOLDIERS NOT FIGHT. SHE HELPED THEM ESCAPE. SHE HAD COURAGE. IT COST HER. SHE LOST HER TWO KIDS. REMEMBER THE MOVIE SOPHIE'S CHOICE? SHE EXPERIENCED THAT. MY AUNT, MY MOM CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, NEVER WENT BACK, WAS AFRAID TO GO BACK. SHE LOVED AMERICA. SHE STARTED TO WORK WITH NO AMERICAN EDUCATION. SHE HAD COURAGE. SHE RAN THE SECOND LARGEST COUNTY IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA'S ELDERLY SERVICES PROGRAM WITH NO AMERICAN EDUCATION. I HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION, BUT I'VE RAISED SIX KIDS. ONE IS A PHD PERFECT GPA AND AGGIE HAD MORE REGALIA ON HIM THAN I'VE EVER SEEN. HE'S AMAZING. HE WORKS HARD. HE HAS COURAGE. THREE OF MY KIDS ARE ENGINEERS. ALL OF THEM HAVE SOME FORM OF COLLEGE. I TOLD YOU I HAVE NONE, BUT I HAD COURAGE. I ENCOURAGE TO GO AGAINST THE SYSTEM. 10 SECONDS MA'AM. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU, I LOVE TEXAS, BUT I NEED YOU TO HAVE COURAGE. I NEED YOU TO PUSH AGAINST THE POWERS THAT BE. I GREW UP IN MINNEAPOLIS, YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE. IT'S BEEN ON THE NEWS. OMAR WOULD'VE BEEN MY REPRESENT REPRESENTATIVE. I'VE SEEN THE DESTRUCTION OF COWARDS. PLEASE DON'T HAVE THAT, THAT ABILITY TO QUIT OR SHRINK BACK. I'M GONNA CLOSE WITH HEBREWS. DO NOT BE LIKE THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK AND ARE DESTROYED. GOD IS [02:50:01] WATCHING. YOU CAN DO THIS AND GOD WILL GIVE YOU A PLAN. THIS IS A GOLIATH. THANK YOU. BUT DAVID ONE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MATTHEW CORSEY. I'M A RESIDENT OF PARKER COUNTY. AND WELL, WHEN WE FIGHT BACK, THERE IS RESISTANCE. I'VE DROPPED OFF AT EACH OF YOUR PRECINCTS. A POLICY. SANDRA, THE SOVEREIGN AUTONOMY AND NATIONAL RESILIENCE EFFORT. RIGHT NOW ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, MASSIVE RESOURCE INTENSIVE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS ARE EXECUTING JURISDICTIONAL ARBITRAGE. THEY'RE INTENTIONALLY MIGRATING INTO UN UNINCORPORATED COUNTY TERRITORIES TO EXPLOIT A PERCEIVED LACK OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT. THEY'RE TAPPING INTO OUR SHARED REGIONAL ELECTRIC GRIDS DRILLING INTO OUR SHARED AQUIFERS AND LEAVING MULTI-GENERATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LANDLORD OWNERS TO SHOULDER THE MASSIVE COST OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEPRECIATION AND UTILITY RATE INFLATION. THE QUESTION BEFORE THIS COURT IS NOT WHETHER GROWTH WILL HAPPEN, BUT WHETHER PARKER COUNTY WILL DICTATE THE TERMS OF THAT GROWTH OR BE DICTATED BY CORPORATE INTERESTS. TO BE CLEAR, THIS ISN'T AN ATTEMPT AT A MUNICIPAL ZONING, WHICH WE KNOW THE STATE RESTRICTS. THIS IS ABOUT STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE GATES. AND I'VE SPOKEN WITH SOME THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODES, CHAPTER 2 32 AND 2 42. WHOLE JURISDICTION OVER RIGHT OF WAY PERMITTING, ROAD CUTTING, ROAD CUT CLEARANCES, AND DRAIN PLAT DRAINAGE PLAT SIGNATURES. SANDRA PROVIDES THIS COURT WITH A TURNKEY, LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE FRAMEWORK TO CONDITION THOSE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE PERMITS. ABOUT 10 SECONDS, SIR? YES SIR. SO BEFORE YOU, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT CHAPTER 3 91 AND WITH SANDRA IT CREATES A BASELINE. IF A DEVELOPER HITS THE CONSUMPTION MIX, THEY OPERATE AS A COMPLETELY SELF GRAINED, SELF-CONTAINED OFF-GRID SOVEREIGN NODE. THANK YOU, SIR. THAT'S, I'M SORRY. THAT'S IT. UNDERSTOOD. MY NAME IS TINA CHERRY. IF SHE WOULD SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT. MY NAME IS TINA CHERRY. UH, THERE IS NOT MUCH I WILL SAY THAT. NA, YOU ALREADY SAID. I WANT TO SAY ONE THING THAT ONLY TWO PEOPLE THAT I HEARD TALK ABOUT THIS. UH, SOMEWHAT THIS, THERE IS A REASON THAT THIS DATA CENTER IS BEING PUT IN A HIGHLY POPULATED AREA. AND THAT IS, UM, NOBODY'S SEEING IT BESIDE ALL THE NATURAL, I MEAN ALL THE, THE USE OF THE RESOURCES IS, IS AFFECTING PEOPLE. IT'S A WAY, IT'S THE ROAD TO TRANSHUMANISM IS A ROAD TO DESTROY YOUR NATURALIST GUT GIVEN BIOLOGY, WHICH IS ONE THAT IS DONE, MIND CONTROL IS MUCH HIGHER. DEGREE IS MURMUR MORE SUSCEPTIBLE FOR IT. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, WHICH IS, AND I BEEN TALK ABOUT A LOT, A LOT ABOUT, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WON'T BE IN THE MAIN STREET SCIENCE YET. BUT WHENEVER IT IS OUT THERE, IT IS GOING TO BE LATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ASHLEY FREEMAN AND I AM VERY BLESSED TO BE A RESIDENT HERE IN PARKER COUNTY. UM, I DID NOT PLAN TO SPEAK, SO I'M NOT SUPER PREPARED. UM, BUT I WANNA ENCOURAGE US AS A COMMUNITY, IF THERE'S EVER A TIME FOR UNITY, THIS IS IT. THE NUMBER ONE TACTIC TO DEFEAT ANY OPPOSING ENEMY IS TO DIVIDE THEM FIRST. AND SO WE CANNOT AFFORD IN THIS TIME TO, YOU KNOW, BE GOING IN EVERY DIFFERENT DIRECTION AND FIGHTING SMALL BATTLES. AND WE NEED TO BE FIGHTING THIS WAR TOGETHER. UM, PHILIPPIANS TWO SAYS, IF THERE IS ANY ENCOURAGEMENT IN CHRIST, ANY COMFORT FROM LOVE, ANY PARTICIPATION IN THE SPIRIT, ANY AFFECTION AND SYMPATHY, COMPLETE MY JOY BY BEING OF THE SAME MIND, HAVING THE SAME LOVE BEING OF FULL ACCORD AND OF ONE MIND. THIS IS A TIME WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND BE OF AS, AS ONE MIND AND AS OUR COMMISSIONERS. WE NEED YOUR HELP. WE ARE ALL ROOKIES AROUND HERE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE SHAKING IN OUR BOOTS, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO FIGHT AND WE NEED YOU GUYS TO HELP US. AND IT GOES ON AND IT SAYS, AND THIS IS MY, MY REQUEST OF YOU GUYS AS OUR COMMISSIONERS. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE MEN OF COURAGE AND YOU GUYS HAVE GRIT. AND THAT'S WHAT GOT YOU IN THESE SEATS. AND WE NEED, YOU, NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER. IT GOES ON. AND THIS IS OUR REQUEST. DO NOTHING FROM SELFISH AMBITION OR VAIN CONCEIT, BUT IN HUMILITY, COUNT OTHERS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN YOURSELVES. [02:55:01] LET EACH OF YOU NOT LOOK ONLY TO ITS OWN INTERESTS, BUT TO THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS. HAVE THIS IN MIND AMONG YOURSELVES, WHICH IS YOURS IN CHRIST JESUS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME'S JOHN BATES. I LIVE ON THE SHORE OF LAKE WEATHERFORD. I THINK IT'S BEEN MENTIONED ABOUT THE WATERSHED. I JUST WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT THIS PLACE IS PROPOSED TO BEING BUILT ON THE WATERSHED FOR LAKE WEATHERFORD, WHICH IS OUR WATER SUPPLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS MARINA HARRIS. I'M PRECINCT TWO. UM, I CAME JUST AS A CONCERNED, UM, RESIDENT OF, UH, PARKER COUNTY. I WAS HOPING TO GET A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THIS DATA CENTER. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT SIZE IS THIS DATA CENTER GONNA BE AS FAR AS THE ACRES AND WATTAGE? DO YOU GUYS KNOW? I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT, UH, ACTUALLY THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST AT THIS POINT. THERE HAS BEEN SOME PERMITS ISSUED, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE COUNTY. OKAY. SO I THINK SOME QUESTIONS, MAYBE THEY WON'T, WE WON'T HAVE ANSWERS FOR THEM TODAY, BUT I THINK IT'S STUFF THAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING US AS CITIZENS BECAUSE, UM, FOR ONE, WHAT TYPE OF DATA CENTERS IS GONNA BE, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA CENTERS. THERE ARE COLOS, WHICH ARE CO-LOCATION. THEY'RE BASICALLY HOSTS FOR DIFFERENT, UM, COMPANIES LIKE WELLS FARGO, XBOX OR WHATEVER. OR THEY COULD BE AI DATA CENTERS, WHICH THOSE REQUIRE THE MOST AMOUNT OF POWER AND CREATE THE MOST AMOUNT OF HEAT, WHICH REQUIRES THE MOST AMOUNT OF WATER TO COOL THEM DOWN. AND THEN THERE ARE ENTERPRISES LIKE STARGATE, UM, ORACLE, UM, MICROSOFT, THINGS LIKE THAT, FACEBOOK. SO I WAS CURIOUS AS FAR AS WHAT KIND OF DATA CENTER IS COMING IN. UM, ALSO WANTED TO KNOW, WELL, I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND IT'S COMING IN TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY WATTS MEGAWATTS, UM, IT'S GONNA DRAW THE CITY OF WEATHERFORD. WHERE'S THE GENTLEMAN FROM THE ELECTRIC COMPANY? I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS AT. UM, DRAWS ABOUT LIKE 300 MEGAWATTS AT PEAK. UM, SOME OF THESE BIG DATA CENTERS WILL DRAW GIGAWATTS, WHICH IS 1 BILLION WATTS. UM, SO THAT'S A BIG CONCERN. WHO'S GONNA BUILD THE POWER GRIDS? I THINK I HEARD THE MAN SAY THAT. UM, WE ARE NOT REQUIRING THE DATA CENTERS TO BUILD THEM. IN SOME STATES, THEY DO REQUIRE THEM TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT JUST THE POWER WHERE IT'S GONNA BE DRAWING FROM, BUT ALSO THE ROADS AND TO MAINTAIN THEM. WASHINGTON AND TEXAS ARE THE TWO LARGEST, ARE THE TWO STATES THAT HAVE GIVEN THE MOST TAX ABATEMENTS TO THESE CORPORATIONS TO BUILD THE DATA CENTERS. I'M HAPPY WITH OUR POSITION HERE AT PARKER COUNTY, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AS FAR AS ENERGY, THE NATURAL GAS TURBINES ARE OUT THERE, THE SMALL MODULAR REACTORS, WHICH IS A NUCLEAR POWER. UM, THESE DATA CENTERS, THESE AI COMPANIES GENERATE SO MUCH MORE MONEY PER SECOND THAN THE OIL INDUSTRY DOES. SO THESE GUYS ARE COMING IN, THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE BIG NEW JUGGERNAUTS THAT ARE GONNA DETERMINE HOW OUR LIVES ARE LIVED. UM, ALSO ON THE COOLING MEDIA, I SEE THAT WE ARE AGAINST THE OPEN LOOP. SO FOR CLOSED LOOP, IT WORKS BASICALLY LIKE OUR, OUR CARD COOLING SYSTEM. IT'S A BIG CONCERN, UH, WHERE THAT COOLING MEDIA'S GONNA BE DISPOSED. UM, WHO'S GONNA COME IN TO TAKE IT? 'CAUSE WE DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT IT PUMPED BACK INTO OUR GROUNDWATER AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED. UM, HOW MANY JOBS IS IT GONNA CREATE FOR PARKER COUNTY? A LOT OF THESE PLACES DURING CONSTRUCTION GET OUT OF STATE CONTRACTORS. MY BROTHER WHO IS IN CALIFORNIA, UM, THEY WERE CONTRACTED TO MOVE, I THINK IT WAS A MILLION TONS OF DIRT FOR ABILENE. UH, THESE DATA CENTERS COME IN WITH THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES SOMETIMES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL. YOU ABOUT ME HERE. YOU'RE OVER THREE MINUTES. IF YOU COULD WRAP IT UP. JUST YOU GOT, GIVE A FEW MORE SECONDS. UH, JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR DOING THIS. MY NAME'S CARRIE FOSTER. I LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE, UH, 1 0 7 ACRES LAKE COURT FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S STILL HERE IN THIS ROOM. DO YOU USE THIS CARD? AND DO YOU USE IT ONLINE? IF YOU DO, THEY'RE GONNA COLLECT YOUR DATA PERIOD. WE CAN TRY ALL WE WANT TO. IT MAY NOT BE IN THIS AREA. I HOPE IT IS NOT. BUT THEY'RE GONNA COLLECT YOUR DATA. IF YOU'RE NOT USING THIS, IF YOU'RE NOT USING CASH, THEY'RE COLLECTING YOUR DATA. SO YOU CAN EITHER WAKE UP TO THE FACTS AND UNDERSTAND THEM AND TALK ABOUT COMMUNICATION WITH THE, WITH THE COMMISSIONERS. EVERYBODY SIT THERE AND WANTS TO TALK ABOUT YOU'VE GOTTA GO ONLINE. WELL, YOU'RE GOING ONLINE. IF YOU'RE USING ETSY, AMAZON, ANY ANYBODY, ANYWHERE WHERE YOU BUY [03:00:01] ANYTHING, YOU'RE, THEY'RE COLLECTING YOUR DATA. YOU ALREADY APPROVED OF IT WHEN YOU WENT ON THE WEBSITE. WAKE UP TO YOURSELF BEFORE YOU START COMPLAINING ABOUT THESE GENTLEMEN HERE. THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT US. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT THEY ARE DOING SO. UM, ANYWAY, THAT'S, I JUST, YOU GUYS DO THE RIGHT THING. THAT'S ALL WE'RE HERE FOR. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BECOME AWAKE OF WHAT'S GOING ON. NOTIFICATIONS BY Y'ALL. WE NEED TO FOLLOW Y'ALL ON FACEBOOK COLLECTING DATA JUST TO SEE THIS MEETING GOING ON. I MISS THE OLD DAYS OF A NEWSPAPER. AMEN. WE SAT AROUND AND READ 'EM. MY GRANDFATHER READ 'EM TO ME. MY DAD READ 'EM TO ME. I MISS THE DAYS OF THE NEWSPAPER AND ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN HERE. YOU BETTER START LOOKING FOR IT AGAIN. ANYWAY, THANK Y'ALL GENTLEMEN. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE? WOULD I COME UP AND SPEAK? I WANNA MAKE SURE I WAS LEFT. YOU GOOD? I'M SORRY, . I I MADE SURE I WAS LAST. Y'ALL ARE DONE. ANYBODY WANNA ARGUE? COME ON OUTSIDE, , CAN SOMEBODY ELSE COME UP AND SPEAK? MAKE SURE THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE. . UH, I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL. THIS IS, UM, KIND OF WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE HERE. YOU HEARD THE INFORMATION SIDE. WE'RE ALSO DIGESTING THIS. WE'RE LEARNING, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR LEGISLATORS. IS IS, IS JUST AS MUCH AS WE CAN. THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE. THERE'S, THERE'S THINGS THAT WE GONNA CONTINUE TO PUSH OUR LEGISLATORS TO GET MORE INVOLVED. I DO WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU, IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME HERE. MERITS BRINGING UP HERE. THAT JUST GOT BROUGHT UP, UH, THAT WAS MADE, BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION. THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES HAS NOW SCHEDULED A MEETING ON JUNE 23RD. LET ME GET TO IT HERE BY REPRESENTATIVE CODY HARRIS ON THE COMMITTEE. NATURAL RESOURCES TO MEET AND DISCUSS, INVITE TESTIMONY ON THE FOLLOWING, ON THE BROAD OVERSIGHT ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE UNDER SECTION 3 0 1, 0.014 FOR DATA CENTERS. AND SO THIS HAS THE ATTENTION OF OUR LEGISLATORS. UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM AND PUSH THEIR INVOLVEMENT. UH, I'VE ALREADY SENT A MESSAGE THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA BEGIN TRYING TO ASSEMBLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AN EVENING MEETING AS WELL. AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS AGAIN. SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE, YOU'RE, AGAIN, YOU'RE OUR BOSSES. YOU'RE THE ONES THAT PUT US IN THESE CHAIRS. IT, UH, IT, IT IS A TASK TO DO THIS. WE, WE DON'T NORMALLY DO THAT, BUT, UH, AGAIN, GIVEN THE RECOMMENDATION REQUEST FROM OTHER COMMISSIONERS AS WELL. UH, AND OVERWHELMINGLY YOU, WHICH WE LISTEN TO, WE ARE GONNA BE WORKING ON DILIGENTLY AND QUICKLY BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY SET UP FOR THIS TO GET ANOTHER MEETING IN THE EVENING. SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT SAID, DARN, I WISH I COULD HAVE CAME, UH, THAT DID, COULD NOT COME BECAUSE OF WORK. UH, WE ARE GONNA DO THIS AGAIN. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PAINFUL TO HEAR THIS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S SO CRITICAL TO HEAR WHAT YOUR OPINIONS ARE BECAUSE WE REPRESENT YOU. AND, AND WE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY AS A COURT. AND, UH, THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE STILL. AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING TODAY. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE LAST, I'M GONNA ASK FOR A MOTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO, IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I MEAN, WOULD YOU GO AHEAD AND SPEAK ON THAT? FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, THIS WAS RE THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN STREAMED AND ALSO RECORDED. SO ALSO YOU CAN TELL FOLKS THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO ONLINE AND BE ABLE TO WATCH THIS OR FAST FORWARD IT JUST AS ANOTHER RESOURCE. NOT TO REPLACE AN EVENING MEETING, BUT JUST AS ANOTHER RESOURCE. JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT. THAT'S A GOOD POINT BECAUSE ALSO IF THERE'S SOMEONE THEY CANNOT OR UNABLE TO ATTEND, IF WE DO HAVE THAT MEETING, UH, WE WILL HAVE THAT MEETING. IF THEY CANNOT ATTEND FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEN UH, THEY CAN WATCH THAT. AS THE COMMISSIONER HAS SAID, STREAMED, THESE ARE STREAMED. YOU CAN WATCH THIS. UH, SO MY, MY WIFE WAS WATCHING IT HOME, WAS NOT ABLE TO GET HERE TODAY. SO CERTAINLY, UH, THERE ARE THOSE OUT THERE THAT ARE, THAT USE THAT AND THEY THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. SIR. MA'AM, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION BACK THERE? THE MEETING FOR JUNE, WOULD YOU, I'M SORRY, THE MEETING FOR JUNE 23RD, IS THAT GONNA BE OPEN LOCAL? IT'S, I BELIEVE IT'S IN AUSTIN. AND WE'LL, WE WILL PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT AS THAT COMES OUT AND WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THAT IS. AND UH, ALSO WE'LL BE PUTTING TOGETHER A SUMMARY. THERE'S ALSO, WE DID PASS THE RESOLUTION. THERE WAS A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE ON THAT. WE DID PASS THAT RESOLUTION. WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL, THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE OF THAT. AND THEN WE WILL ASSEMBLE AND DISCUSS SOME OF THE OUT WHAT, WHAT SOME OF YOUR FEEDBACK WAS ON THIS. AND SO YES, THE WORK IS, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND CONTINUE TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. SO [03:05:01] AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU ADJOURN? SORRY, JAMIE. UH, IS IT WE BEAUTIFUL COURTROOM. WE MAY GO THROUGH THE CENTER, WESTERN COLLEGE 500 OUR BETTER YET, VERY DIRECT. WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT INPUT VERY MUCH BECAUSE THIS IS THE BIGGEST ROOM WE HAVE, OBVIOUSLY IN STANDING ROOM ONLY. AND PAINS ME TO SEE Y'ALL HAVE BEEN A STAND. SO WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK AT OTHER OPTIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU JAMIE, FOR THAT INPUT. ANYTHING ELSE IN THE COURT? YES, I'M EXPERIENCED GOING TO AUSTIN . SOMEBODY HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN THEY HAVE SPECIAL HEARINGS LIKE THIS. ANY CITIZEN CAN GO TO AUSTIN AND PARTICIPATE IN THAT. UH, THERE IS, THERE ARE KIOSK IN THE, IN THE CAPITOL THAT YOU GO TO WHEN THEY'RE HOLDING THOSE MEETINGS AND YOU SIGN IN TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND THEY WILL HAVE ALL THE RULES THERE THAT APPLY IT. IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING WHERE THEY LIMIT THE TIME YOU'RE ALLOWED TO SPEAK, ET CETERA. UH, BUT YES, ANY CITIZEN CAN SPEAK AT THOSE HEARINGS. I ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOU CAN GO TO AUSTIN OR GET SOMEONE ELSE TO, UH, REPRESENT YOU, PLEASE DO SO. THANK YOU. IT'LL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER FROM THE COURT OR FROM THE AUDIENCE? OKAY, THEN I WOULD ASK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN. OKAY. WE HAVE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. RECORDS SHOW THAT WE'LL ADJOURN AT 1219. THANK Y'ALL FOR COMING. THANK. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.