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Data Center Protest organized by Don't Drain Texas, with Sid Miller and Clayton Tucker, South Capitol Steps, Austin July 27, 2026. Photo credit Texas Tribune Texans keep hearing about how Texas Democrats will "turn Texas blue." But Texas independents see a mixture of red and blue, the color purple, as Democrats appear to be gaining a competitive advantage in this election. We at LIV want at least two viable options as we seek a third option -- for the 8 million Texas independents not aligned with any single party. We believe electoral competition is the cure for our many problems in the way of policy, not politics we so desperately need in Texas. The color purple was on full display on July 27 with Agriculture Commissioner and Republican, Sid Miller, standing together at a protest with the Democratic nominee for his seat, Clayton Tucker. The protest took place just as the Texas Senate Finance Committee deliberated on the billions of dollars in tax exemptions wallowed in by the disgraceful data center industry hogs at the public trough. This giant sucking sound of public dollars is the work of state government at its highest levels, especially Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. Try not to regurgitate when you read how we, the people, pay for AI slop in this Texas Tribune article about July 27's Texas Senate hearing hearing: "Texas’ multibillion-dollar sales tax exemption for data centers is growing, while audits lag." Did you hear the one Big Tech giant -- Google -- stepping in to help Anthropic deal with those pesky Hill County Commissioners trying to assert local control? Grab your dramamine quick and help LIV gently herd those 8 million Texas independents on how to shop the ballot in November for policy not politics! RSVP HERE for the Monday night Zoom This Monday night's regular LIV meeting @8 pm on Zoom, will focus on the fight for local control and data center tax abatements reform. What's Next for the Independent Movement? LIV's Linda Curtis, Mike Collier and Preston Love, Texas Forward Party on June 25, filing day at the Secretary of State. In very few races (like Hays County's independent for County Judge -- Liz "Sumter" Gajdos), will you see independents on your ballot in November. This is wholly due to severely restrictive ballot access laws petition rules both parties have put in place. Litigation has been ongoing since 1994! We currently await a decision in federal court by Judge Robert Pitman who just heard the case taken by Mike Collier for a place on the Texas ballot to run an independent for Lt. Governor. We expect a ruling very soon! Though Mike's ballot access is a long shot, it could happen. Moreover, our fingers are crossed for relief to open the door for Texas independents in the next cycle. The Wild Wild West of Western Bastrop County The Bastrop Town Hall on July 22 -- attended in person and online by nearly 500 people -- is reverberating across the county and officials are feeling the pressure of our cross-partisan -- purple --- movement. The results were seen at the Bastrop Commissioners Court meeting on July 27, the same day as the Senate Finance hearing. There was a tense, but productive, dialogue between commissioners and residents about tax abatements for data centers. This conversation will continue as EdgeConneX and Pacifico data center developers are pushing for abatements. Check out the video from the Bastrop Commissioners Court and the residents who showed up! Bastrop Commissioners Court video, July 27. (Apologies to those who commented, but had to be edited out due the video's audio problems beyond our control. Thanks to Jenai Marek for video production.) More about what you can do. =>Sign the Bastrop Bill of Rights Petition now online HERE at LIV. =>Reach Linda Curtis at 512.360.8754. She's got work for you! AND....last but not least: Click here to become a member of LIV. Dues start as low as $10 for the year and entitle you to join a local LIV Hub for local organizing and to vote on candidate endorsements..

Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller with LIV Advisor, Andy Griffith. Click on the picture to watch the Bastrop Town Hall for All last Wednesday night. It was s smashing success. We apologize for this late email alert. We have been overwhelmed with people just hearing about the data centers running amok in our home county of Bastrop. As the only statewide elected official to call for a statewide moratorium and special session on data centers, Texas Ag Commissioner, Sid Miller is teaching millions of Texans what policy, not politics looks like. It's so rare, it was a joyful experience for all who witnessed the Bastrop Town Hall! Click on the picture to watch the video -- the time stamped segments make it easily digestible. One of Sid's points you also may have missed is this. He wants a 3-mile setback from Map provided by LIV fact-checkers. data centers. Got that? There are 4-5,000 people living within 3 miles of just the EdgeConneX facility you see in this map. We agree with Sid Miller on the set- backs too. Add to this picture the data centers and facilities like SpaceX in western Bastrop County, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the problem. This problem was highlighted in this short video shown at the Bastrop Town Hall -- Data Center Fire Risks -- provided to us by fire expert, Gary Oldham of Protect Round Rock. Can you spell public safety? BTW, did you catch Mark Cuban saying that "A lot of data centers are going to be turned into pickleball courts?" Solutions for Bastrop County will also be provided on Monday, July 27, to the Bastrop Commissioners court by attorney, Nick Lealos. LIV's Linda Curtis will be speaking at the hearing on tax abatements. Data Center abatements are as popular as head lice! You can access the meeting on the webex portal under the agenda HERE.and hop on Zoom on Monday night at 8 pm for a full report. KVUE (ABC) News, reporter Jose Alonzo, did a great job covering the Bastrop Data Center Town Hall on last Wednesday, "Bastrop County Residents Concerns" is a good hint. Community Impact News, reporter, Amanda Cutshall, did an excellent piece as well in Bastrop County Residents Organize for Data Center Transparency; Local Guardrails. Hang in, Texas! ________________________ Who and How to Reach Your officials HERE.

This event is sponsored Republicans, Democrats and independents working together for policy, not politics...and open government. RSVP! Now that Sid Miller is on board to speak, make sure to reserve a seat. We expect a more than full house! RSVP NOW! We will also stream this event for out-of-towners, so you should sign in as well. The Bastrop Commissioners Court has called a Special Session for Monday, July 20 at 9 am. Join us there. We support decorum at these meetings. Don't get angry -- get organized!

We thank the Bastrop County Democrats and the Bastrop County Republican Club for co-sponsoring this event with LIV! RSVP for July 22. The Texas Forward Party has just joined us too! This morning Lee County passed a resolution for a data center moratorium and a special session to be called by Gov. Greg Abbott. Meanwhile, Bastrop County is a work in progress. We'll explain tonight how this happened and what open government has to do with it related to Bastrop County's decision to seek DOJ/Homeland Security funding. Area residents and local officials are invited to attend this Data Centers Bastrop County Town Hall on Wednesday, July 22 at 6 pm at The Hampton Inn. RSVP for a real Town Hall in Bastrop and share the Event page. We want to see counties across the state join Lee County and others to call upon the Governor for a special session or a data center moratorium. We also need open government in Bastrop County. See Linda Curtis' for. LIV comments today to the Bastrop Commissioners Court. We have more to say about the problems with open government that has raised its ugly head in the gold-rush for data centers. Join us tonight on Zoom. RSVP HERE

Texas Commissioner of Agriculature, Sid Miller. Bio here Our ballsy Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller. issued a press release urging the Governor to call a Special Session stating: "Is Governor Abbott genuinely committed to slowing this unchecked expansion, or is he sending a signal to data center developers, their investors, and campaign contributors that they still have a window to accelerate projects so they can be grandfathered in before the Legislature has an opportunity to act?" Please also note at the bottom of the full release page, Miller's urgent concerns about the screw worm. We hope the feds and the Governor are listening. Now, of the millions of words about AI, we turn to independent writer, Charles Hugh Smith's whose own work was -- legally -- expropriated by AI. Smith, so simply makes the case for our claim that War and AI are not free in, "Without Subsidies, AI is Unaffordable." So, what do we regular folks do? We get together and we examine the facts. Meanwhile, might the ballsy Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller be going independent? We hope to find out. That's what our July 22 Real Data Center Town Hall is about. Reserve seat now as seating is limited: RSVP

Has Texas Ag Commissioner, Sid Miller gone independent? LIV thinks so. Two days ago, our ballsy Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, issued a press release urging the Governor to call a Special Session, "Is Governor Abbott genuinely committed to slowing this unchecked expansion, or is he sending a signal to data center developers, their investors, and campaign contributors that they still have a window to accelerate projects so they can be grandfathered in before the Legislature has an opportunity to act?" Of the millions of words about AI, we turn to independent writer, Charles Hugh Smith's whose own work was -- legally -- expropriated by AI. Smith, so simply makes the case for our claim that War and AI are not free in, "Without Subsidies, AI is Unaffordable." The agenda for the Real Town Hall will soon appear on this page. RSVP to reserve a seat now. So, what do we regular folks do? We get together and we examine the facts. That's what our July 22 Real Data Center Town Hall is about. Reserve seat now as seating is limited: RSVP We have local, state, national and international independent news facts to share below. Read, share, become a member of and get active in LIV. LIV. Team LOCAL: Bastrop residents! Please attend the next Bastrop County Commissioners Court meeting on Monday, July 13 at 9 am. On the agenda is a discussion (no action to be taken) of the County's policies for tax abatements. Also, there is Item 11 on the appointment of a steering committee that will work with the newly hired legal/lobbying powerhouse (Holland & Knight) to address "regulatory authority," by the County. What they do will be front and center at the July 22 Real Town Hall. We will have a Sunday afternoon meeting on Zoom to discuss these items. If you're interested in joining us contact us at contact@livtx.org or call 512.360-8754. Texas: Harvey Kronberg (Quorum Report), at 3:16 tells us why Secretary of State, Jane Nelson is not leaving. She is unwilling to be replaced by Gov. Abbott's pick, election denier Nate Schaltzine. Thanks Jane. National: Politico, July 8, 2026: On the current health crisis of former Senate Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell’s absence is throwing Trump’s Pentagon budget boost in doubt. " "McConnell — who chairs the Senate Appropriations panel that controls Pentagon spending — has been a powerful critic of the administration’s approach to securing a $1.5 trillion boost for the military. His support will be key in moving any funding plan forward, and his absence could stall or kill those hopes." Stay tuned for this big news! International: Watch this extraordinary show or read the transcript here. Prof. John Mearsheimer on the Glenn Diesen show, July 3, 2026: There is no "truth" in war, just gamesmanship on both sides. But, are we done yet, with fake war news by the NY Times? The Times recently reported 150,000 Ukrainian deaths since 2022. Mearsheimer explains how the horrific body count is likely closer to 1 million. The entry of some NATO countries into the Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil are now dangerous to Europe. Let's walk this back and get a real Pentagon audit. Can we turn our attention to the most important issue in Texas and the world? How to grow healthy food and to protect our water and land? Hope to see you at this annual event -- LIV is always an exhibitor. Will you join us August 4-5 in San Marcos at Texas State University for the Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems Conference? Check out the Speakers. Volunteer opportunities at our booth.

Four years ago a YouTube guy caught Carlson fishing in Central Park, legally. So, you may have caught the announcement by Tucker Carlson that he has left the Republican Party and is pledging his support for a new independent party. No, I don't think he's running for President, but someone might be. Who knows. Some otherwise smart people in independent media are kicking sand on the idea of a new independent party and the so-called "spoiler effect" of third parties. This piece with Krystal Ball on Breaking Points who acts like she does have a crystal ball is blatant political bias. High off NYC Mayor Zoran Mamdani and DSA's wins in New York last week, Ball was not her usual bright self, scoffing about a third party getting 10-20% of the vote and calling it a "spoiler." That's one helluva a spoiler effect, ya think?! No one in the world that we know of thinks starting a new party can win elections...yet, unless there is a tectonic shift in American politics the likes of which haven 't been seen since Abe Lincoln. It has happened, folks, and it was one of America's most tumultuous times. It doesn't take a genius to realize that we are now in a time of tumult and two-party systemic failure. Ironically, the rise of Mamdani and DSA is a tectonic shift in NYC politics. But, that's OK so long as you stay inside the Democratic Party. (That's why we used to call DSA the "democrat's socialists.") Anyway, I'm guessing that Krystal and other naysayers have not yet read Lee Drutman's book, published in 2019, for crying out loud, "Breaking the Two-Party Doom-Loop." And, for another crying out loud, Drutman is a self-identified Democrat who cherishes democracy first. He also is a leading academic voice for a full break with two-party politics. If the libertarian Republicans are breaking out of the GOP, we applaud them and urge them to help bust down the door of the two-party monopoly. Let's just hope, whatever they do, it is in service of all us independents who may not find them exactly our cup of political tea. Drutman argues there's room in American politics for five parties. Might that be because he noticed that 45% of American voters call ourselves independents! See Ballot Access News' Rich Winger's review of the book on the LIV blog, get you a copy and become a member of LIV.

July 4th is the 250th birthday of the United States of America. We'll talk about how independents can celebrate it at this Monday night's meeting with Mike Collier, independent candidate for Lt. Governor.. LIV meets every Monday night at 8 pm online: RSVP now Our June 29th meeting with special guest, Mike Collier, will focus on his court battle on petition obstacles to place his name on the November ballot. Mike is running as an independent for Lt. Governor, arguably the most powerful seat in Texas Government. In this discussion, we will make the connections between fair ballot access for independents and what has emerged as a, if not THE, top issue in the Texas midterm election -- AI data centers. Topics include: • Mike Collier's legal battle from the man himself on behalf of distinguished plaintiffs. • How to get a statewide moratorium on data centers. • Which candidates are taking AI/Data center donations? •. Why the "security establishment" was given invited testimony at last week's hearing on water and data centers held by the Natural Resources Committee. To prepare for this meeting: Please read LIV's recent posts HERE and HERE. If you signed up with us for a "real" town hall at a recent EdgeConneX open house sponsored by Bastrop County, you have not been put on our general email list. IF you want to be, please sign in at LIVTX.org. SAVE THE DATE for a real Town Hall tentatively scheduled for Wed., July 22 at 6:30 pm, Location TBA. We will keep you informed. If you attended at least one of the three EdgeConneX sessions, please use the form posted on our RSVP page to share your experience. If you learned something, we want to know! Thank you.

Mike Collier on WFAA TV about his lawsuit to open up Texas ballot access for independent candidates. Join us on Monday night to meet him: RSVP here We were there on the filing deadline yesterday, June 25, when Mike Collier filed petitions to get on the ballot as an independent for Lt. Governor to run against Dan Patrick. On Monday night, we're also going to make the connection between Mike's legal challenge to Texas' draconian petition rules and data centers. This will explain how issues become top issues in. Texas. You can still help Mike by going to the bottom of this page, to sign his Petition to Expand Voter Choice. We're also thrilled to announce that :Liz "Sumter" Gadjos has been certified for the ballot to run as an Independent for Hays County Judge! We have known Liz for well over a decade as one of us dedicated to water, land and open government. She's already making waves, pun intended. See Liz2026.com and Liz in the San Marcos Record. Data Center Update! The Tuesday, June 23 hearing of the Texas House Natural Resource Committee has already made the rush for data centers a top concern in the midterm election in November. Watch the committee members whale on the data center developers at Tuesday's hearing. Did they show the same concerns over the last two sessions? Now, we need to ask every member of the House and Senate where they stand on urging the Governor to call a special session. If they won't do that, that tells us how really concerned they are. Texas has legislative sessions every other odd year. This "data center dance" cannot wait until the next regular session in 2027. Only the Governor can call a special sess ion. We need one to get everyone on record about reining in an industry galloping across Texas without regulatory controls to protect our grid, our water and our wallets. Abatements for data centers (not to mention Elon Musk's SpaceX) are all kind of Texas wrong! Special note to Bastropians: We are working to ensure a town hall that our local Bastrop Commissioners Court failed last week to do with three-in-a-row meetings (dog and pony shows) held by data center developer, EdgeConneX. If you attended one of the three EdgeConneX sessions, please use the form posted on our RSVP page for this meeting to share your experience. If you learned something, we want to know! Also, please take a moment to become a dues-paying member of LIV and to like us on Facebook.

The good news in the Bastrop big tech mess is we have met Maria Victoria Bowen of Stony Point, where 100 families live right next to EdgeConneX's first data center...with 6 more to come, so far as we know! It's no coincidence that Mike Collier filed suit to challenge the ballot access petition laws that require 81,000 signatures from voters who didn't vote in the primary....in 30 days, mind you. Our own Linda Curtis has joined a prestigious group of former officials as a plaintiff. The filing deadline is June 25. Go Mike!!! Bastrop Dog and Pony Shows So far as we're concerned, the foremost duty of elected officials is to inform their constituents.The entire Bastrop Commissioners Court has failed from day one when EdgeConneX data center developers came to town well over two. years ago, and received a 75%, 10-year property tax abatement that was rushed through in a shroud of darkness. Three open houses -- erroneously called "town halls" -- were held last week by EdgeConneX, sanctioned by the entire all Republican Bastrop Commissioners Court and we're still in the dark as. And, almost at the very same time the all-Democrat Austin City Council decided, in secrecy, the fossil fuel future of Austin. See David Weinberg's article in the Austin Free Press. What are good citizens -- from all corners on the political spectrum -- to do? Work with the growing independent movement to organize, and learn from those people and officials who are getting things done and demand open government. We will be at the Bastrop Commissioners Court tomorrow -- Monday June 22 at 9 am -- to remind them of their duty. IMPORTANT TUESDAY, June 23, 10 am, the Texas House Natural Resources Committee Meets. They will discuss water and data centers. We hope to see you there! Note: You can also watch from and submit testimony from home. Please read SAWDF's report to prepare for Tuesday (June 23) Texas House Natural Resource Committee Hearing on data centers and water. Additions! These are the written public comments offered by Linda Curtis to the Bastrop Commissioners Court on June 22, 2026. This is video of six speakers on June 22 at Bastrop Commissioners Court. We have asked the Commissioners to put on a real town hall and will be having out own in early July with other groups. Stay tuned! This is the Hill County Proclamation everyone is watching as it sets the standards for rural pushback. Quorum Report, June 22, As data centers come under more scrutiny in Texas, lobby prepares for vigorous session and new clients Texas Living Waters Recommendations for Balancing the Water Needs of Data Centers and Large Water Users in Texas with the State’s Vision for Long-Term Water Security

Are Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick dancing with bots or do they really care about Texans, our land, our water and our democracy -- the right to public information? Bastrop County is one of several "ground zero" Texas communities suffering from an invasion by AI data centers and industrial projects that have -- so far -- refused to refrain from tax refunds and abatements, not to mention following the spirit and intent of open government laws. (More soon on this latter topic.) As you may know, LIV just got run over by Elon Musk lobbyists' Mack Trucks when the oh-too-willing Bastrop Commissioners Court pulled the trigger on sponsoring SpaceX for state subsidies. No one we know believes SpaceX or Musk needs a subsidy unless they live on Planet Mars. On Wednesday, June 10th, Governor Greg Abbott's big announcement calling for "sweeping data center regulation, including eliminating sales tax exemptions" (Texas Tribune) for the industry, signals he's hearing it from Texans. This is especially true for rural Texans who feel as helpless as the State keeps their counties. Governor Abbott has at least tasked the PUCT (Public Utility Commission of Texas) and ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) to require data centers to ensure residential taxpayers aren’t burdened by electric infrastructure costs and that data center interconnections will result in reduced residential electric bills. He directs them to act on that directive within their existing authority by July 27, and then tell him what they need in the 2027 legislative session to finish the job. The only problem is this. The Governor wants to wait for the 2027 legislative session for any real reforms, so he's not hearing it loudly enough...yet. If we wait until 2027, how many hundreds of data centers will be grandfathered in, while all the lobbyists figure out how to thwart those reforms for others waiting in the wings? Texas already has 405 existing data centers and another 442 planned or underway as of late 2025 according to Axios.com. The Governor should call an Emergency Special Session We urge you to watch this 21-minute PBS mini-documentary on Stargate, a massive AI supercluster, that gave zero notice to residents of Abilene before they started turning dirt. Governor Abbott is the only one with the power to call a special session, That said, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wields a great deal of power to force the Governor to call a special session. Let us not forget the no less than three special sessions on the so-called "bathroom bills" Patrick insisted were an “emergency.” If you live in Central Texas, especially Bastrop and Travis Counties, please consider attending these events with data center developer EdgeConneX. Please note that we do not expect a true “town hall,” but rather an open house with EdgeConneX employees and “subject matter experts” answering questions at stations of tables. EdgeConneX Data Center Open Houses (see the flier here) Tuesday, June 16, 6 to 8 pm, Elgin, North Bastrop County Community Annex 702 Bull Run Wednesday, June 17, 6 to 8 pm, Smithville,, Smithville Recreation Center 106 Royston Thursday, June 18, 6 to 8 pm, Bastrop County Community Center 15 American Legion Drive Tentatively, the most affected area, Cedar Creek, does not yet have a meeting planned. We believe this is in progress, but stay tuned. Ask your own questions, or refer to the questions we will provide at our Monday night Zoom meeting on June 15. RSVP HERE. If you see no one recording your interaction at a table, do so on your phone. Please share this information with us or reach out to us the day following the meeting at contact@livtx.org or 512.360.8754. Again, our Monday Zoom Meeting will focus on preparing for these meetings. RSVP HERE.