Is State Sen. Bettencourt practicing law (badly) without a license? Or is he just placing bad bets for Lt. Dan on data centers?

Hot off the press -- the Texas Tribune -- released yesterday, February 10th.

Houston area Republican State Senator Paul Bettencourt, the heir apparent to Dan Patrick when Patrick moved up to Lt. Governor, is not up for reelection. His boss, Dan, is.

Check out Bettencourt's letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton HERE. 

It was shared with the Hood County Commissioners Court just before they were about to vote on a 6-month moratorium (a pause) on a data center (the first of six facing Hood County), until they received answers to their questions.

One of the commissioners characterized the letter as a “threat letter,” presumably meant to stop them in their tracks from taking a specific official action that could then be tested for legal enforceability. The commissioners voted 3-2 to tentatively approve the project, pending answers to their remaining questions.

We would have to agree that it is characteristic of Bettencourt of seeking to expand - or mischaracterize - existing law in his zeal to end local control in Texas for schools, cities and counties.

We are not serious about "Bettencourt practicing law". He's not an attorney.

We are not aware, and apparently neither was Bettencourt, of any Texas Attorney General Opinion concerning county moratoria on data centers, but he did not mind conflating a 2023 AG opinion on a solar project with different facts. Instead, he primarily relied upon the 2025 passage of SB 2559, that he said addressed the regulation of municipalities (that is, not counties) attempting to “impose similar moratoria." Ok, maybe we're serious that Bettencourt is practicing law, just badly.

"Apparently, threatening the Hood County court with the Attorney General’s big stick is easier than letting Hood County -- and the rest of Texas -- roll the dice on the unique state-wide issues that data centers raise, including water supply impacts and energy consumption to name two," quipped LIV Board Member, Debbie Russell.

Is Dan Patrick Aware of Bettencourt's Bullying? Contact LIV NOW if you are trying to get answers about data centers!

Is this any indication that Bettencourt might be operating on behalf of his political boss, Dan Patrick, who may believe he is invulnerable in this election? The Democrats haven't held a statewide office since Ann Richards defeat in 1992.

But, if Mike Collier is on the ballot in November as an independent, and the Dems pick a primary candidate with juice -- mark our words at LIV, the race for Lt.Governor will be ON! That's because it's a three-way race in November with no runoff. Any one of them could win with as little as 34%.

Be sure to read our lead article in today's LIV News, "Should Independents Vote in the Open Texas Primary?"

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• Let's be clear what LIV is and is not. LIV is not a party. We do not run or manage electoral campaigns. We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501c4 organization. Sometimes LIV endorses or rate candidates, regardless of party affiliation.

• There are at least. over 400 data centers underway or planned for Texas with unknown risks to water. See Texas Tribune HERE.

• See this Ft. Worth Star article for a data center with Council Members asking important questions HERE.

• And this just in today from Texas Trib: Texans are demanding their local governments push pause on data centers. Can they?