Texas Regulators to Require Data Centers, Crypto Miners to Report Water Use
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas utility regulators will begin requiring data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations to report their water usage, as state leaders move to better understand how fast-growing technology industries are affecting Texas’ already strained water resources.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) plans to ask qualifying facilities statewide to begin sharing water-use data within a defined reporting timeframe, marking one of the first coordinated efforts to track how much water large-scale computing operations consume.
Data centers and crypto-mining facilities have expanded rapidly across Texas in recent years, drawn by relatively low energy costs and a business-friendly regulatory environment. While much attention has focused on their electricity consumption, water use — needed primarily for cooling systems — has remained largely unmeasured at the state level.
Regulators say collecting consistent data will help inform long-term water planning, infrastructure investments, and drought preparedness.
“Texas is experiencing unprecedented growth, and we need a clearer picture of where and how water is being used,” a PUC official said. “This reporting will give policymakers better tools to protect water supplies while supporting economic development.”
The new reporting requirement is expected to apply to large-scale facilities that exceed certain capacity thresholds. Officials emphasized that the measure is intended to improve transparency, not restrict operations.
Water experts have warned that clusters of data centers in drought-prone regions could place additional stress on local water systems, particularly during extended dry periods.
Industry groups say many companies already track internal water usage and are prepared to comply, but they want assurances that proprietary information will be protected.
State officials say the data will be used to support broader efforts to ensure Texas has sufficient water supplies for communities, agriculture, and industry as population and economic growth continue.
Attorney General Paxton Sues Snapchat
For Deceiving Parents, Endangering Texas Kids by Exposing Them to Addictive Features, and Serving as a Breeding Ground for Obscene Conduct
February 12, 2026 – Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Snap, Inc. (“Snapchat”) for failing to adequately warn parents and consumers about inappropriate material on the platform and the app’s addictive design.
The lawsuit alleges that creators of Snapchat knowingly misrepresented the app’s safety to parents and consumers by promoting it as safe for children and with “12+” age ratings on app stores. This was done while simultaneously frequently exposing users to dangerous and mature content that includes profanity, sexual content, nudity, and drug use. The lawsuit cites that multiple other features of the app, including “Snapstreaks” or other incentives to use the app daily, also cause harm to young minds due to the addictive nature of the features.
“I will not allow Snapchat to harm our kids by running a business designed to get Texas children addicted to a platform filled with obscene and destructive content,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Parents have a fundamental right to know the dangers of the apps their kids are using and not be lied to by Big Tech companies. This lawsuit will hold Snapchat accountable for illegally undermining parental rights, deceiving consumers, and for putting children in danger.”
This lawsuit follows legal actions that Attorney General Paxton has taken against several Big Tech and social media companies, as well as similar suits against TikTok and Roblox.
Commissioner Miller Announces the $100 Million AgLink Continuity Grant Bolstering Food and Fiber Resilience
February 11, 2026 – AUSTIN – Today, Commissioner Miller, the Texas Department of Agriculture(TDA), and the Texas Agriculture Finance Authority (TAFA) announced the AgLink Continuity Grant (AgLink). AgLink will provide critical assistance for eligible agricultural processing and storing facilities in danger of closure due to revenue loss caused by natural disasters—preserving jobs, ensuring continuity of services, and strengthening the supply chain.
AgLink provides the working capital needed to stabilize operations, preserve jobs, and ensure continuity of services during periods of disaster-related revenue loss. Grants in amounts of up to $500,000 will be awarded through a competitive evaluation and selection process. Applications are expected to open mid- to late February 2026.
“Our ability to feed and clothe the nation depends on a strong supply chain—and that includes our processors as well as our producers,” Commissioner Miller said. “The AgLink Continuity Grant is going to strengthen the safety net for all of Texas Agriculture. Strengthening food resiliency protects our food supply and helps keep grocery costs down for Texans.”
The new grant is funded through a major reinvestment in Texas agriculture under House Bill 43, backed by the Texas Department of Agriculture and introduced by State Representative Stan Kitzman. Passed in the Texas 89th Legislative Session as HB 43, AgLink will use state funding to deliver a comprehensive package of support for farmers, ranchers, and processors who routinely face weather extremes, natural disasters, and unpredictable economic pressures. AgLink was created to close critical gaps in assistance and provide support across every segment of the agricultural sector.
AgLink will support critical agricultural processing and handling businesses, including cotton gins, grain elevators, grain warehouses, and rice dryers. When natural disasters such as drought, wildfire, flood, or winter storms strike, these operations often experience significant reductions in raw materials delivered for processing or marketing, resulting in severe financial strain.
Unlike agricultural producers, many of these facilities are ineligible for crop insurance or traditional disaster assistance. Yet their ability to continue operating is essential for producers to market, process, and sell their commodities, and closure of these facilities can leave gaps in the agricultural supply chain that remain long after disaster recovery is complete.
“The 89th Legislative session was one of the strongest ever for Texas agriculture,” Commissioner Miller said. “From historic investments into water conservation to expanded financial support for our farmers and ranchers, we fought hard, and the Legislature delivered. When critical processing or marketing operations shut down, even temporarily, producers lose affordable local access. The AgLink Continuity Grant ensures these businesses stay open, resilient, and ready to serve when producers need them most.”
For information on eligibility, application deadlines, or to sign up for updates and notifications, owners and operators of handling and processing facilities are encouraged to visit the TDA website.
MLK Church of Christ to Hold Coat and Grocery Giveaway February 14th
February 10, 2026 – MLK Church of Christ in Sulphur Springs, Texas, will have a coat and grocery giveaway on Saturday, February 14, 2026. The event begins at 8:00am. The church is located at 154 MLK Drive, Sulphur Springs, Texas.
CHRISTUS Health opens new emergency care center in Mount Pleasant
February 10, 2026 – MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas – CHRISTUS Health celebrated the opening of its new emergency care center in Mount Pleasant with a ribbon cutting and blessing on Monday.
Located at 130 Tankersley Road, the 36,000-square-foot facility features both an emergency department and dedicated clinic space, each bringing expanded, compassionate and exceptional care to the community.
“Today is about extending into a community, about expanding access and brining more services and jobs to Mount Pleasant,” said Chris Glenney, senior vice president for CHRISTUS Health Northeast Texas. “This entire facility represents our commitment to Mount Pleasant and Titus County, and we are excited to be here, ready to service.”
Opened today, the CHRISTUS Health Mount Pleasant emergency care center features 13-beds with four triage bays, an onsite laboratory and full-service imaging including CT, ultrasound and X-ray.
Designed with accessibility at its core, the facility offers convenient access to care, streamlined check-in and extended availability so patients can get help when they need it most.
It will also have reliable, dedicated clinic space that will house providers in cardiology, electrophysiology, primary care and outpatient physical therapy, with space designated for visiting specialists.
“We are here to live our Mission, to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, something that is not just written on the wall, but is our guiding principle,” said Dr. Brian Allgaier, medical director of the emergency care center. “Our responsibility is not only to care for people and their illnesses, but to care for the whole person and to listen, to reassure and to serve with excellence and kindness.”
CHRISTUS Health Mount Pleasant will employ more than 50 full-time nurses, providers and support staff and represents a more than $30 million economic investment into the community.
Mount Pleasant represents the latest investment by CHRISTUS Health in East Texas. In the past year, CHRISTUS Health has opened a free-standing emergency department in Henderson, broke ground on a pain management and vascular center in Jacksonville, opened an emergency hospital in Palestine, a multi-specialty clinic in Sulphur Springs and will open the CHRISTUS Cancer Center in Longview in Fall 2026.
Over the past decade, CHRISTUS Health has invested more than $1 billion in Northeast Texas.
“Mount Pleasant is a tremendous community full of genuine people, and we are excited to be here,” Glenney said. “We are looking forward to serving the community and continuing our investment into affordable, accessible health care.”
Quitman, Texas-based Jackson Construction served as construction project lead, and the CHRISTUS Health Mount Pleasant clinic space is expected to open in April.
Governor Abbott, Secretary Rollins Take Action To Protect Agriculture In South Texas
February 9, 2026 | Austin, Texas | Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today made agricultural stops in South Texas to take proactive action on behalf of American farmers and ranchers.
In Mission, the Governor and Secretary held a roundtable discussion with Texas agriculture producers regarding recent negotiations of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty to discuss the breakthrough agreement’s impacts on the Texas citrus industry.
“Thank you to President Trump for stepping up and doing more than any other President has ever done to enforce this treaty,” said Governor Abbott. The urgency of it was heard at this roundtable today. We have an obligation to ensure more water goes to the men and women who grow crops in our state.”
“Uncertainty over water deliveries from Mexico negatively impact South Texas especially,” said Secretary Rollins. “The State Department, USDA, and IBWC engaged our Mexican government counterparts to negotiate. Recent treaty negotiations have resulted in significant increases in deliveries and improvements in the reliability of the water cover. It’s time to make a change, and that’s what we’re working to do.”
During the roundtable, Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins also discussed the passing of Proposition 4, a generational investment in Texas’ water infrastructure.
The Governor and Secretary were joined in Mission by Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Lone Star Citrus Growers Vice President of Operations TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, and other Texas agricultural producers.
Following the roundtable, the Governor and Secretary participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of a Domestic New World Screwworm (NWS) Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in Edinburg to combat the northward spread of NWS and protect American livestock.
“America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border,” said Governor Abbott. “We put together the resources necessary for Texas to provide a Texas-size response to this. We thank Secretary Rollins and President Trump for stepping forward to provide the stop gap effort essential to protecting our ranchers and our wildlife.”
“The Trump Administration continues to bring the full force of the federal government to fight New World Screwworm,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “This sterile fly dispersal facility was a high priority project, and our team delivered it in record time. This new facility is a monumental achievement for our domestic preparedness efforts, but we are also diligently working to stop the spread of screwworm in Mexico, conduct extensive trapping and surveillance along the border, increase U.S. response capacity, and encourage innovative solutions. We will never stop fighting to protect American agriculture. USDA, through a whole-of-government approach, will continue to hold Mexico accountable to mitigating the spread of this dangerous pest.”
The Governor and Secretary were joined at the Edinburg stop by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary of Marketing & Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins, Congressman Tony Gonzales, Senator Adam Hinojosa, Representative Ryan Guillen, Representative Stan Kitzman, Representative Janie Lopez, Representative Don McLaughlin, and Nate’s Honey Founder Nate Sheets.
Governor Abbott has taken preemptive action against the northward spread of NWS by:
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration to better equip the Texas New World Screwworm (NWS) Response Team to prevent the potential spread of the NWS
- Announcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $750 million in a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility
- Directing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team
Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Investigation into Potentially Illegal “Sharia City” Development in Kaufman County
Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action to investigate a potentially unlawful “sharia city” development in Kaufman County.
Public reporting has noted that a U.S. subsidiary of the Dubai-based development company, SEE Holding, in connection with Kaufman Solar LLC has purchased thousands of acres near Kaufman, Texas. The proposed development has been alleged to be for the purpose of creating a “sustainable city” and it’s been noted that as many as 20,000 foreign nationals could be able to move into the new development. Many Texans are concerned that this could be an illegal development designed to be a “sharia city.”
Attorney General Paxton is committed to stopping any illegal development that violates our laws, harms Texas, and undermines our values. As part of his investigation, he has sent Requests to Examine (“RTEs”) to SEE Holding and Kaufman Solar LLC. The legal documents demand information related to the companies’ communications with local city, school, county, and state officials; the relationship between the two companies; and information regarding the development and real estate acquisition in Texas.
“There will be no ‘sharia city’ in Texas under my watch,” said Attorney General Paxton. “While you’re on American soil, you will obey America’s laws. I have launched this investigation to determine the nature of this development in Kaufman County and will be thoroughly investigating this matter for any unlawful actions.”
Snowflake Campaign will Warm Surgical Patients
February 9, 2026 – Sulphur Springs, TX – The annual Hopkins County Health Care Foundation’s Snowflake
Campaign has officially come to an end for the year. The Foundation is proud to announce that the fundraising campaign resulted in a brand-new blanket warmer being donated to the Spreading Our Wings Campaign which is raising money for the surgical wing expansion at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs.
With the support of donors and a gift from CHRISTUS Health, the Foundation was able to
provide funding for one of the three blanket warmers needed.
A soft opening of the new half of the surgical wing was held on Friday, January 23. Renovations
have begun on the remaining half with a projected completion date in the early summer.
The renovation expanded the footprint of the surgical wing by extending the second floor of the
hospital over an existing parking lot. This added much needed space for four new operating
rooms, more post op bays, and storage.
The next phase will renovate the existing area to update the original four operating rooms, add
changing areas for staff, and create more pre-op bays. Once construction is completed, the
surgical wing will boast the latest in equipment and technology to benefit CMF-SS patients and
staff. It will also allow for more surgeries and procedures each day.
Until now, the surgical wing was exactly as it had been when the building was originally opened
in 1968. At that time, it was built to accommodate approximately 14 surgeries and procedures
per day. Before the expansion, up to 54 surgeries and procedures were performed in a day.
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation is an IRS 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization
serving Hopkins County. The Foundation provides free clinics, educational programs, and other
healthcare equipment and construction projects for the benefit of our community.
Photo 1: A new blanket warmer, purchased with funds raised through the Hopkins County
Health Care Foundation’s Snowflake Campaign and a gift from CHRISTUS Health, is in place to
comfort patients in the surgical wing expansion at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur
Springs. Two additional blanket warmers are in need of underwriters. Visit
SpreadOurWings.GiveSmart.com to see all the opportunities to help outfit the new surgical
wing.
Photo 2: Snowflakes wrapped the Johnnie Masters Gift Shop at CMF-SS, just as the new
blanket warmer purchased with the proceeds of the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation’s
Snowflake Campaign will allow surgical patients to be wrapped in a snuggly blanket. Though
the 2026 Snowflake Campaign is over, there are still plenty of opportunities to help outfit the
surgical wing. Visit SpreadOurWings.GiveSmart.com to learn more.
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Sulphur Springs has two Upcoming Events Worth Making Note Of
February 8, 2026 – On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.: St. Philip’s Episcopal Church will host its annual Pancake Supper. All are invited, so please join us at 1206 College St.
On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church will hold its Ash Wednesday service at 12:00 noon at 1206 College St..
Hopkins County EMS Blood Drive
February 6, 2026 – In partnership with Hopkins County Health Care Foundation
Join us for our first-ever blood drive supporting Hopkins County EMS’s new Whole Blood Initiative—a critical advancement made possible through the support of the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation. This initiative allows our EMS teams to carry two units of life-saving whole blood directly to patients when every second counts.
📅 February 28, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Central Station
116 Airport Rd, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
Your donation helps strengthen emergency care across Hopkins County by bringing advanced, life-saving treatment straight to the scene—where it’s needed most.
Come out and support “Our Community, Our Purpose” by giving blood and making a real difference right here at home. ❤️
