The data center fight in Hood County, Texas
As of September 27, 2026, Hood County, Texas rejected a data center moratorium (action taken February 25, 2026).
Status is derived, not stored — a pause with a documented end date flips to Expired on its own — and the source is right next to the claim.
Status today
Commissioners voted down a proposed moratorium 3-2. State Sen. Bettencourt warned county lacked legal authority. County sought AG opinion on whether it could impose restrictions.
SourceNews
read 2026-09-11
An expiry date is the earliest a pause could have ended — extensions are common, so confirm with the clerk before citing it.
The project on the table
Project Red and Project Yellow — In review
Filing LLC: National CRE Holdings LLC; Greenland Capital LLC · Acres: 677
Two proposed data center campuses covering 677 acres on the grounds of the existing Wolf Hollow power generating complex in Hood County. District Judge Bryan Bufkin of the 355th Judicial District Court granted the county's plea to the jurisdiction and dismissed with prejudice the developers' suit arguing the projects were automatically approved because the county missed a 30-day statutory deadline; the judge found the submissions did not meet the state's definition of 'development plans.' Commissioners had twice delayed voting on the projects pending more disclosure and compliance with new county development regulations. Reporting identifies National CRE Holdings LLC as a Starwood Capital Group entity and Greenland Capital LLC as the owner of MARA Holdings, which already operates two bitcoin mining sites in the county.
Next: An application is in the record. Ask the planning office for the next hearing date and request formal notice.
Latest in the record
- 2026-07-15 — National CRE Holdings LLC and Greenland Capital LLC filed notice of appeal of Judge Bufkin's dismissal to the Second Court of Appeals. · source
- 2026-07-15 — District Judge Bryan Bufkin of the 355th Judicial District Court granted Hood County's plea to the jurisdiction and dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit by National CRE Holdings LLC and Greenland Capital LLC, ruling their concept plan submissions did not meet the statutory definition of 'development plans' that would trigger automatic approval under the 30-day deadline. · source
- 2026-06-02 — The Texas Tribune reported that Hood County faces eight proposed data center projects spanning over 7,600 acres, including the 677-acre Project Red and Project Yellow on grounds neighboring the Wolf Hollow power plants; commissioners had twice delayed voting on those two projects pending more disclosure, prompting the developers to sue claiming automatic approval. · source
- 2026-03-24 — Hood County Commissioners unanimously voted to postpone action on the Project Red and Project Yellow concept plans pending receipt of additional information; the meeting revealed MARA Holdings' connection to both developments through a joint venture with Starwood, and residents raised concerns about environmental impacts and noise from existing MARA bitcoin mining operations. · source
- 2026-03-10 — Hood County Commissioners unanimously adopted amended Section One Development Permit Regulations requiring data center developers to demonstrate committed water resources, submit complete power generation concept plans, certify compliance with the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, and limit building coverage to 10% of a property (down from 50%). · source
- 2026-02-24 — Hood County Commissioners Court rejected a second data center moratorium proposal in a 3-2 vote with the same split; commissioners voted instead to request a formal opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton on whether the county has legal authority to enact such a ban. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-08-14.
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.
Nearby in Texas
- Fort Worth (37 mi) — Proposedterm not documented
- Hill County (50 mi) — Rescindedterm not documented
- Lewisville (65 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Denton (68 mi) — Proposedterm not documented
- Mesquite (75 mi) — Proposedterm not documented
- Forney (82 mi) — Proposedno end date — permanent
- Lavon (91 mi) — Enactedexpires soon — 2026-11-05
- Princeton (93 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
All 23 tracked actions in Texas are on the state page.
As of August 2026 · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
Part of the U.S. data center moratorium tracker — open data, CC BY 4.0.