Texas reportedly halts automated permit portal and suspends 17 data-center permits
PolicyUnverifiedUpdated:
Texas reportedly paused its automated permit-filing system, STEERS, for staff checks on datacenter-related applications. Seventeen associated stormwater construction permits were also listed as suspended.
Pausing STEERS for staff review
404 Media reported that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's STEERS site, an electronic construction-project filing system, first returned a 404 error and then displayed a notice saying it had been temporarily shut down. The notice said agency staff would review applications to determine whether they relate to data centers. The outlet also reported that 17 data-center-related stormwater construction permits were listed as suspended in TCEQ's central registry.
The report describes STEERS as an electronic filing application used for automatic authorizations. It does not establish a broader baseline for all Texas construction permitting.
According to the report, TCEQ temporarily shut the automatic-authorization filing application so staff could review applications for potential links to data centers, while 17 related stormwater construction permits appeared as suspended.
The reported action would replace automatic authorizations with staff review for applications that may involve data centers, while placing 17 related permits in suspended status. The report links the change to scrutiny of permits issued after Governor Greg Abbott called for a pause, but that connection has not been independently verified.
Sources
- 404 MediaPortal Texas Used to ‘Rubber Stamp’ Data Centers Down After 404 Media ReportingRead source →