Rep. Armando Walle Statement on Public Utility Commission’s Announcement of Data Center Water Use Survey

Houston, TX — Today, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced[1] its plan to conduct a survey to study the water use of Data Centers and Virtual Currency Mining Facilities, pursuant to Rider 6 for the PUC in the 2026-2027 State Budget.[2]

The rider instructs the PUC to study the water use of industrial properties with a focus on industries whose energy demands have an inverse relationship with their water usage, and to share that information with the Water Development Board and the Commission on Environmental Quality for their own planning and demand purposes.

Rep. Armando Walle (HD 140), who authored the rider in the budget, released the following statement in response:

“This survey is a critical early step in what I hope becomes Texas’ forward-thinking approach to our state’s water needs. These centers of emerging technology can be a boon to local economies, but often are large users of energy, water, or both.

“More and more data centers open up across the state. We must find ways to meet the existing data gaps in our state and regional water planning process to ensure local governments — and these businesses themselves — can make informed decisions based what resources are available, and will be available going into the future.

“Last Session, I convened the leaders of the Public Utility Commission, the Water Development Board and the Commission on Environmental Quality to craft the language for this survey to begin filling those gaps. I am grateful for the leadership and collaboration shown by these agencies during this process, and am appreciative of Chairman Bonnen’s support in these efforts to include this project in the budget.”

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State Rep. Armando Walle serves House District 140 in Harris County. For questions regarding the information in this release, please contact Cara Santucci, Chief of Staff, by email at cara.santucci@house.texas.gov.

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[1] PUC Open Meeting (02/06/2026), Agenda Item #26

[2] General Appropriations Act of the 89th Legislative Session, VIII-57