Data center coverage in Brewster County, Texas
7 headlines archived for Brewster 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
Pacifico Energy Glass Mountains data center and gas plant (proposed) — Proposed
Operator: Pacifico Energy · Acres: 8,400
Pacifico Energy, which is developing the GW Ranch gas plant for Amazon's Pecos County campus, presented Brewster County Commissioners Court with a concept for an off-grid data center powered by gas turbines (possibly with solar and batteries) on a roughly 8,400-acre ranch in the Glass Mountains owned by James Ahern. No filing, tenant, size or development agreement yet; the company's own cost range is $5 billion to $60 billion.
Next: Early stage. File a public-records request for the application and site plan.
Latest in the record
- 2026-09-18 — Marfa Public Radio reported the company described an off-grid data center and gas plant employing 100 to 200 people, possibly with worker housing, costing $5 billion to $60 billion, with one to two years of planning before construction. County Judge Greg Henington said 'we're not taking this, like a lay down' and raised water and noise; about 10 residents spoke against it over air quality, noise, dark skies, housing and the region's identity. · source
- 2026-09-15 — Brewster County Commissioners Court special meeting, agenda item 5: 'Review and discuss presentation by Pacifico Energy; no action required.' Pacifico's senior director of development, director of land services and a water adviser attended; there was no formal presentation because the company called the project very early. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-09-22.
What's been reported
7 stories tracked since 2019-07-16 across 6 outlets. 7× A community is pushing back on a nearby data center. Most recent: “Developer behind Amazon's Pecos County data center approaches Brewster County officials” (Texas Public Radio | TPR, 2026-09-18).
- Developer behind Amazon's Pecos County data center approaches Brewster County officials
- Developer behind Amazon's Pecos County data center approaches Brewster County officials
- Data centers loom closer to Brewster County
- Texas sheriffs, judges, ranchers oppose Big Bend border wall plans
- MCFI builds modular data center for Big Bend Telephone in Texas
- Big Bend Telephone building data center in West Texas
- Big Bend Border Patrol Sector’s new chief sworn in
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 7 headlines archived.
Where the decision gets made
Commissioners Court — County budget, roads and any tax abatement or development agreement for unincorporated Brewster County; a county judge and four precinct commissioners. Texas counties generally lack zoning power over unincorporated land, so an abatement or development agreement is where conditions on a project get written. Pacifico Energy, developer of the gas plant powering Amazon's Pecos County campus, presented an off-grid data center and gas plant concept for a Glass Mountains ranch at a special meeting on Sep 15, 2026 (no action taken).
Meets: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. Central (special meetings posted separately); broadcast live on the county YouTube channel
Where: Commissioners Courtroom, Brewster County Courthouse, 201 West Avenue E, Alpine, TX 79830
Public comment: Every agenda opens with public comment, limited to 5 minutes per person; the public can also comment by phone at 432-244-6663. The county posts a public comment sheet and its rules of conduct on the Commissioners Court page.
county.judge@co.brewster.tx.us · 432-837-6200 · website
Read from the official page on 2026-09-22. Meeting details change — confirm before you go.
Who votes on it
| Name | Role | Phone | Recorded stance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg P. Henington | County Judge (presides) | county.judge@co.brewster.tx.us | 432-837-6200 ext. 200 | At Pacifico Energy's Sep 15, 2026 presentation: “we're not taking this, like a lay down”; said the county would be “extremely sensitive to water usage” and raised noise (Marfa Public Radio, Sep 18, 2026) |
| Jim Westermann | Commissioner | jim.westermann@co.brewster.tx.us | 432-294-0065 | not recorded |
| Sara Allen Colando | Commissioner | colando@co.brewster.tx.us | 432-244-7656 | not recorded |
| Ruben Ortega | Commissioner | — | 432-294-1096 | not recorded |
| Mo Morrow | Commissioner | mo.morrow@co.brewster.tx.us | 432-294-3688 | 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.