Open Circuit

Data centers have a Texas-sized energy problem

Aug 7, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min · 15 segments

The showdown over data centers is taking a new turn. This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a data center pause in order to audit how they’ll impact water supplies and the power grid. This…

The showdown over data centers is taking a new turn. This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a data center pause in order to audit how they’ll impact water supplies and the power grid. This comes weeks after New York issued a moratorium. Not long ago, Governor Abbott was declaring Texas the center of the AI boom. But with his re-election bid under threat, he’s now responding to the radical shift in anti-data center sentiment. So what will this mean for other states? And more importantly, will states use their pauses to find creative ways to upgrade grids and deploy clean energy? Then, the end of the corporate net-zero era. AI load growth is blowing up climate goals in real time and tech companies are scrambling to explain their emissions increases. Meanwhile, many of the biggest corporate players are walking away from their targets. But could this actually be a good thing for corporate decarbonization? We’ll look at more effective ways for companies to accelerate clean solutions. *Get your ticket to* Latitude Media’s Flex Summit *in Austin, Texas on October 14-15.* *Credits: Co-hosted by Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah, and special guest Nate Adams. Produced and edited by Stephen Lacey, Sean Marquand, and Anne Bailey.* *Open Circuit is brought to you by Building an Advanced Energy Ecosystem, where New Mexico's energy future is shaped. Join industry leaders, policy makers, researchers, and innovators at Building an Advanced Energy Ecosystem, September 14-16 in Albuquerque. Visit* nmwomenlead.org/registration *and use promo code CIRCUIT to save 10% on registration.* *Open Circuit is brought to you by FischTank PR, an award-winning climate and energy tech, renewables, and sustainability-focused PR firm dedicated to elevating the work of both early-stage and established companies. Learn more about their PR approach and how they can support your company’s messaging by visiting* fischtankpr.com*.*

The showdown over data centers is taking a new turn. This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a data center pause in order to audit how they’ll impact water supplies and the power grid. This…

Tomato Sandwiches and Zucchini0:00 – 2:02

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0:00

[static] Latitude Media, covering the new frontiers of the energy transition.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:08

Jane, what's this I hear about you eating a tomato sandwich every day for two months?

Jane FlegalGuest

0:13

Every day.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:15

I've just had access to, like, some delicious heirloom tomatoes, and I'm a vegetarian, so...

Jane FlegalGuest

0:19

And I'm, and I'm not creative, so the, the, like, set of things that I can eat that are actually delicious that I, that I make myself is quite narrow.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:28

But a, but a really good tomato sandwich, toasted sourdough, some flaky salt, so good.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:34

Are you growing your own tomatoes?

Jane FlegalGuest

0:36

No.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:36

Jane FlegalGuest

0:37

What, who do I look like? No.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:39

[laughs]

Jane FlegalGuest

0:39

Um-

Stephen LaceyHost

0:40

It's in her bio, non-creative vegetarian.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:43

Yeah, exactly.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:44

[laughs]

Stephen LaceyHost

0:44

[laughs]

Jane FlegalGuest

0:44

Exactly.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:45

With no green thumb.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:46

Speaking of gardening, you guys gotta check this out.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:49

Oh, boy.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:50

What I just pulled out of my garden.

Jane FlegalGuest

0:52

[gasps]

0:53

Oh, my.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:53

[laughs]

Jane FlegalGuest

0:54

Is that a zucchini?

Stephen LaceyHost

0:56

You could...

Stephen LaceyHost

0:56

That is a zucchini.

Stephen LaceyHost

0:57

You could make a, like, a two months worth of zucchini bread with that thing.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:01

Oh, I like that.

1:02

You can.

1:02

I still don't understand the, like, value of zucchini.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:06

Yeah.

Stephen LaceyHost

1:06

[laughs]

Jane FlegalGuest

1:06

I agree, Jigar.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:07

I'm not-

1:07

Like, it just feels like it's tasteless.

1:09

It's-

Jane FlegalGuest

1:09

Mush

1:09

... like bare.

1:10

Yeah.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:11

Yeah.

1:11

It's like it's a way to consume water.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:13

Yeah, yuck.

1:14

[laughs]

Jane FlegalGuest

1:14

I swear I, I have...

Jane FlegalGuest

1:15

I'm anti-zucchini.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:16

I'm also anti-eggplant.

Stephen LaceyHost

1:17

Yeah, I am anti-eggplant.

Stephen LaceyHost

1:19

I am pro-zucchini.

Stephen LaceyHost

1:20

Eggplant is so difficult to cook and get not mushy.

Stephen LaceyHost

1:23

But eggplant-

Jane FlegalGuest

1:24

It's not that-

Stephen LaceyHost

1:24

...

Stephen LaceyHost

1:24

I feel like I've got it dialed in.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:26

I've also been a vegetarian for, like, 25 years, and every event you go to, they're like, "Oh, you don't eat meat? How would you like this pile of eggplant mush?" [laughs]

Stephen LaceyHost

1:35

Totally.

1:36

Man, imagine being a vegetarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 1990s.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:43

Oh, boy.

1:43

Like, I literally would just get crudité-

Jane FlegalGuest

1:46

[laughs]

1:46

... like, for my dinner.

1:47

They were like-

Jane FlegalGuest

1:48

[laughs] A side of cereal

1:49

... "Here's some non-cooked cut-up peppers with some dipping sauce.

1:52

Thank you."

Jane FlegalGuest

1:53

Oh my God.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:54

But you were probably so healthy.

1:56

Oh, gosh, yeah.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:56

Like a little rabbit.

1:57

This is like a temple right here.

Jane FlegalGuest

1:59

Jigar the rabbit.

1:59

A temple of health.

2:01

[upbeat music]

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