Data center coverage in Bastrop County, Texas
6 headlines archived for Bastrop County — no documented moratorium or ban on file here yet. See the moratorium tracker for towns that have taken formal action, or the full story tracker to browse every place we're following.
The project on the table
BCG Cedar Creek Campus — Awaiting decision
Operator: BlackChamber Group · Filing LLC: Black Chamber Partners · Acres: 2,842
Black Chamber Partners (a BlackChamber Group affiliate) and co-developer Pacifico Energy plan a 2,842-acre data center campus at 382 Earl Callahan Road near Cedar Creek with a 710 MW gas-fired energy facility, a ~$2.2 billion investment with two 100% county tax-abatement applications under review; construction is estimated for September 2026 through October 2028. Neighboring property owners filed motions July 20 asking TCEQ to overturn two construction stormwater permits issued in mid-July.
Next: Heard 2026-08-24; decision pending. Call the board clerk for the vote date and get on the notification list.
Latest in the record
- 2026-08-11 — Community Impact reported that the Black Chamber stormwater permit lists an estimated construction period of September 1, 2026 through October 1, 2028 for the 304-acre BCG Cedar Creek Campus portion of the 2,842-acre development, and that TCEQ generally has 45 days to act on the motions to overturn or they are denied by default. · source
- 2026-08-10 — Bastrop County commissioners tabled a resolution requesting expanded county authority over large-scale industrial projects; it returns at the Aug 24 meeting, 9 a.m., Bastrop County Courthouse. · source
- 2026-08-03 — Gov. Abbott directed PUC of Texas and ERCOT to audit roughly 250-300 data-center projects seeking grid interconnection statewide, pausing new approvals; Texas Tribune coverage specifically cites the Pacifico Energy/BlackChamber Cedar Creek project among those under scrutiny, though its on-site gas generation may make it behind-the-meter and exempt from the ERCOT interconnection audit. · source
- 2026-07-29 — The Elgin Courier reported on the community-led town hall calling for greater data center oversight in Bastrop County, noting that the Pacifico Energy data center proposal remained under county review alongside the EdgeConneX campuses. · source
- 2026-07-28 — The Cool Down published a national report on bipartisan backlash against AI data centers in Bastrop County, noting Texas has overtaken Virginia as the world's largest data center market, with over 700 facilities potentially added in the next decade. · source
- 2026-07-27 — A Bastrop County Commissioners Court public hearing was scheduled on proposed tax-abatement guidelines that would require companies to disclose environmental impacts and create at least 25 local jobs. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-08-14.
What's been reported
6 stories tracked since 2026-08-10 across 5 outlets. 5× A community is pushing back on a nearby data center. 1× Residents question property-value hits and local benefit. Most recent: “EdgeConneX files for two more data center buildings in Bastrop County” (The Business Journals, 2026-09-17).
- EdgeConneX files for two more data center buildings in Bastrop County
- In Bastrop, Texas, data centers could lose automatic approval in industrial zones
- In Bastrop, Texas, data centers could lose automatic approval in industrial zones
- AI giant Anthropic in talks to lease massive Bastrop County data center, sources said
- Bastrop County data center developer drops tax break requests, says it will pay full property taxes
- Proposed Bastrop data center alarms neighbors
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 6 headlines archived.
Where the decision gets made
Commissioners Court — County budget, tax abatements and resolutions — including the hearing on the BCG Cedar Creek data center campus.
Meets: Biweekly Mondays 9:00 a.m. (shifts to Tuesday after Monday holidays)
Where: Commissioners Courtroom, 2nd Floor, 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop, TX 78602
Public comment: Public Participation Form must be filed with the County Clerk by 3:00 p.m. the Thursday before the meeting.
Read from the official page on 2026-08-18. Meeting details change — confirm before you go.
Who votes on it
| Name | Role | Phone | Recorded stance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory Klaus | County Judge | — | — | not recorded |
| Butch Carmack | Commissioner | — | — | not recorded |
| Clara Beckett | Commissioner | — | — | not recorded |
| Mark Meuth | Commissioner | — | — | not recorded |
| David Glass | Commissioner | — | — | not recorded |
From the locality's own roster page; "not recorded" means no public statement is on file, not neutrality.
What to do next
- Questions to ask at the hearing — force specific answers onto the record.
- Estimate the impact — electricity, water, and rate pressure for any facility size in Texas.
- Model CBA clauses — copy-paste language communities have actually won.
- Texas briefing — rates, grid carbon, PUC contacts, and every fight in the state.
Part of the story tracker — automated news aggregation, CC BY 4.0.