Texas Agriculture Commissioner‑Elect Vows Local Push, Tightens Data Center Scrutiny
Clayton Tucker, the newly elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner, says the state must bring production home and clamp down on data‑center growth that threatens water and land.
The Texas Department of Agriculture has long overseen farm support, pest control, livestock markets and the industrial hemp program under Commissioner Sid Miller, who lost the primary earlier this year. Voters chose Tucker, a Democrat, ending a decade of Republican control.
In an edited interview with Texas Standard, Tucker outlined a plan to revive local manufacturing and agriculture.
“The long‑term fix is to make production local again,” he said. “Trade matters, but we need to rebuild our own factories and farms.”
He urged the department to use existing grant funds to rebuild infrastructure and expand local farms, and called for school meals to source only from Texas growers whenever possible.
“If it can be grown or processed here, it should be,” Tucker added, noting exceptions for items that cannot be produced locally such as bananas.
On data‑center regulation, Tucker promised immediate action.
“First, we need real data,” he said. “We’ll issue agricultural impact studies that measure water, power, air, water, soil, noise and light pollution, and assess effects on wildlife, crops, animals and people.”
He criticized the current 20% reporting rate, warning that incomplete data could repeat the misleading research tactics of past industries.
Tucker pledged to publish the study findings publicly for media, agencies, and activists, and to push a legislative moratorium on new data‑center permits during the upcoming session.
