A planned expansion of AI-related data centers is stirring anxiety in the countryside outside Lufkin, Texas, where many residents settled for acreage, quiet, and space to keep animals.
For people living near a proposed 1,000-acre site, the fight is becoming a test of whether rapidly expanding tech infrastructure can coexist with the communities already in place.
What's happening?
Near Lufkin, opposition is building to a proposed data center on concerns that it would bring industrial noise, heavy demands on water and electricity, and a very different character to the area, according to The Texas Tribune.
The site is a former paper mill along State Highway 103 East that was purchased by AmpZ Champion Data Center Holdings and its Atlanta partner, EPG Champion Development LLC.
Retired nurse Kaesha Avishai, who lives near the site, said the project had already disrupted life around her property before residents received many public explanations, leaving her upset and uneasy.
Houston-based political activist Christina Perez, whose family farm also borders the proposed site, said she is concerned about what the development could mean for the area.
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"I really just want to make sure that we don't see some big tech company from Denver — or any of these different places from out of state — come and take away our resources and turn our home into an industrial wasteland," Perez warned.
Lufkin city officials, however, say the project could bring major economic benefits, including about $1 billion in private spending, 30 permanent jobs, and 500 construction roles.
Lufkin Mayor Mark Hicks said, "From what I have been told about the one here, I just don't see an issue."
Why does it matter?
The Houston Advanced Research Center, an independent nonprofit focused on sustainability solutions, reported that Texas data centers consumed roughly 25 billion gallons of water in 2025. That amounted to less than 1% of statewide use, but the outlet said the share could reach 2.7% by 2030.
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It also reported that ERCOT has fielded 519 grid-connection requests in the last two years.
AI can help utilities forecast demand, manage outages, and better integrate renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. But the data centers powering AI can also require enormous amounts of electricity and water, potentially straining local resources, increasing energy costs, and raising concerns about security, misuse, and unintended social consequences.
In Angelina County, those broader questions are personal. People who intentionally moved there for a quieter way of life say the persistent sound from large facilities, new transmission infrastructure, and more industrial traffic could alter everyday living.
What's being done?
State leaders are also weighing guardrails. Gov. Greg Abbott wants rules in place by 2027 that would make new data centers add power generation, use closed-loop water systems, report their electricity and water consumption, and meet standards meant to address local complaints.
Raine Cotton, a managing partner at EPG Champion Development LLC, told The Texas Tribune that the Angelina County facility is being designed with some of those issues in mind. He said it would use a closed-loop cooling setup filled one time with about 30,000 gallons of water and then reused for up to 10 years.
Cotton also said part of the property would serve as a sound buffer while protecting surrounding wetlands, adding, "There are more than 100 of them operating around Dallas, and oftentimes, you don't even know they're there."
Angelina County Judge Keith Wright said any tax abatement agreement should include protections for nearby residents.
"They would have to ensure there's no environmental impact to the county and that we're protecting residents adjacent to this thing," Wright said.
Cotton has also said town hall meetings will be held in August or September, but residents still seem to have limited ability to block the project entirely.
"I would just like to stay here in my little cocoon by myself," Avishai said. "To take care of my animals and feed birds and la la around like Sleeping Beauty or something. But I'm afraid the giant has awakened, and the giant is coming."
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