Greg Abbott “Changed His Tune” on AI Data Centers after Initial Goal of “Attracting Big Tech” [CBS’ 60 Minutes]
DALLAS, TX —Career politician Greg Abbott is facing a fresh round of scrutiny over his election-year flip-flop on AI data centers after CBS’ 60 Minutes put Texas’ data center boom – and Abbott’s role in fueling it – in the national spotlight last night.
“In Texas, attracting big tech was the goal of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott,” the report noted, highlighting the fact that just last November Abbott bragged about making Texas home of the “AI epicenter.”
But as Texans have increasingly voiced concerns about the impact of AI data centers on their communities, and as Gina Hinojosa has made data centers a key campaign issue, CBS reported that Abbott “changed his tune.”
“Let’s not forget how we got here. Greg Abbott accepted $20 million in campaign contributions from data center special interests. He spent years rolling out the red carpet for tech billionaires and big global corporations – handing them some of the largest tax breaks in the nation. Then, as Texans of all political stripes started pushing back, Abbott flip-flopped because all he cares about is his own political survival. He acts like he just arrived in Texas and is the only one who can clean up this mess, when in reality, he’s been in public office for 30 years and this is a problem of his own making,” said Texas Democratic Party Spokesman Jacob Long.
Other notable excerpts from the 60 Minutes report:
“We were blessed with this land. We're stewards of this land. We're here to take care of it and pass it on to the next generation of Texans. Rural Texans are going to fight as hard as anybody, because that's all we know how to do. We won't give up. We're going to keep fighting against big tech AI, and we'll prevail,” said Blake O’Quinn, third-generation Texas rancher.
“…how do I know that these chemicals or this pollution, water, air, noise, isn't going to affect my community, isn't going to affect me?” said Jazmin Villegas of Red Oak, Texas.
“You know I worry about the traffic, the congestion, the-- the noise. I worry about the environmental impacts and the impacts it has on-- on where I live,” said Dave Lowe of Red Oak, Texas.
