Paul Bettencourt

March 28, 2026

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Texas Built the Datacenter Boom. Now It's Auditing the Deal.

Hood County's failed moratorium attempt, which state Sen. Paul Bettencourt called illegal, shows local governments are testing limits even where state preemption exists.

March 2, 2026

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt has asked AG Ken Paxton to scrutinize county moratorium efforts statewide, and organizers on the ground sense the state is "looking for a county to make an example of."

February 25, 2026

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate any moratorium attempts.

February 24, 2026

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, sent a letter to the AG's office asserting counties "do not have broad moratorium authority, and never have," noting that House Bill 2559 deliberately excluded counties when it clarified municipal moratorium powers.

February 21, 2026

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton eight hours into the hearing warning that counties lack authority to impose development moratoriums, referencing House Bill 2559 by Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco).

February 15, 2026

In Hood County, commissioners killed what would have been Texas's first county-level data center moratorium by a 3-2 vote after state Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton arguing counties lack moratorium authority under HB 2559.