Pacifico Data Center EXPEDITED air review may proceed without public input
TCEQ AIR-PERMIT ALERT — AUGUST 15
CRITICAL PROCEDURAL WARNING: EXPEDITED REVIEW IS UNDERWAY. THIS STANDARD-PERMIT PROCESS MAY NOT REQUIRE PUBLIC NOTICE OR INPUT.
Do not wait for a comment period that may never open.
TCEQ received Pacifico CCK Energy 1 LLC's first publicly traceable Cedar Creek air filing on August 14. EXPEDITED review began the same day.
IDENTIFIERS
Permit / registration: 185019
Project: 413471
Applicant: Pacifico CCK Energy 1 LLC
Facility: Cedar Creek
Regulated entity: RN102987831
Address: 382 Earl Callahan Road, Cedar Creek
DO THIS NOW
1. Request the complete Permit 185019 / Project 413471 file from openrecs@tceq.texas.gov.
2. Email airperm@tceq.texas.gov and demand a written explanation of the permit version, equipment and MW covered, pollutant-by-pollutant potential to emit, every enforceable operating limit, whether legally related turbines and phases must be counted together, and whether any artificial limit is being used to avoid full review.
3. Ask TCEQ's Office of Public Interest Counsel what review routes and deadlines may apply, and ask EPA Region 6 to review whether the federally approved major-source safeguards are being followed.
4. Most Importantly On August 24, ask Bastrop County Commissioners to deny Pacifico's tax abatements and provide no other discretionary financial benefit until the complete air record is public and independently reviewed. August 24 is not a TCEQ permit hearing; the County's leverage is financial.
5. If TCEQ posts a notice, follow it exactly and meet every stated deadline.
Today, on August 15th, I received word that Pacifico is trying to skirt the public from any input on their project. This is not acceptable in Bastrop County. The text of my email is below, for those who need inspiration on how to personalize their own email to reflect their reason for making this same demand. Also, all commissioners' emails will be in listed below the text of my email, so you can quickly copy and paste them into your own email draft. Don't give up! We still have a real opportunity to set the right example for our County Commissioners Court. They are afraid of consequences. But they wouldn't have to be if they worked WITH US. GET INVOLVED!!
EMAIL TO: Honorable Judge Klaus and Commissioners
FROM: Jenai M, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Dear Judge Klaus and Commissioners,
As you are acutely aware, residents of Cedar Creek and the surrounding rural areas are deeply concerned about the industrial expansion of AI mega data centers in our western county.
I have just become aware that Pacifico filed Permit 185019 / Project 413471 through an EXPEDITED Electric Generating Unit Standard Permit route. This is effectively a minor-source pathway that may proceed without formal public notice or input.
If there is one thing Bastropians are united against, it is the lack of transparency and communication between your offices and the constituents you serve. The "back-alley" methods these data centers are using to bypass the families who already live here might be legal, but they are certainly not right. You have the power to stop them from exploiting these loopholes.
Here is what my neighbors and I cannot abide: The complete registration is not posted publicly. Consequently, residents cannot verify what portion of the stated 710 MW project this permit covers, Pacifico’s potential emissions, any enforceable operating limits, or whether all turbines and phases were properly counted together.
As a Cedar Creek resident, and for the reasons detailed above, I respectfully demand that you DENY Pacifico’s pending county tax-abatement applications. Provide no reinvestment zone, incentive agreement, infrastructure assistance, or any other discretionary financial benefit while Air Permit 185019 remains unresolved.
I do not make this request passively. If necessary, I will raise this issue directly during Commissioners Court (on the 24th).
A Note on Accessibility and ADA Compliance: As a disabled mother of a 13-year-old, attending your meetings is a significant challenge. I have had to rely on the kindness of strangers just to secure rides to your bimonthly meetings.
While your building is technically ADA compliant, the timing of your meetings—held exclusively during standard working hours—renders that compliance moot for me and many other working-class constituents. If you were to schedule just one of your two monthly meetings after regular working hours, the barrier to participation for my family and neighborhood would be greatly reduced. Doing so would earn my respect and demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusive governance. I am a disability activist first and foremost; please understand that this is not a sidebar, but a fundamental issue of access in relationship to this topic at hand.
It is frankly unacceptable that Pacifico is using an expedited standard-permit pathway that avoids formal site-specific public input. And the public still cannot determine:
What portion of the 710 MW project is covered? Whether it truly qualifies as a minor source. What operating restrictions it claims? Whether the turbines and phases were properly evaluated under whole-site counting rules.
No complete registration, no written major-source determination, and no independent review should mean no taxpayer assistance. You have consistently insisted that you care about all Bastropians. Now is your opportunity to prove it. We understand you are legally bound from banning data centers outright, but you do have the sole discretion to withhold abatements and tax incentives. Please demonstrate that you are willing to use—and deserve—that governing power.
I repeat: You must DENY Pacifico’s pending county tax-abatement applications. Withhold all reinvestment zones, incentive agreements, and infrastructure assistance while Air Permit 185019 remains unresolved. By denying Pacifico these incentives, you communicate to your constituents that the authority you hold is not only deserved, but truly reflects the core values of rural Bastrop County.
Be advised: Any other actions you take will be documented, reported, and shared with local, state, and national news outlets. I say this not as a threat, but as a matter of fact—a warning. Data centers are a national story, with Texas often at the center. Bastrop County is at the top of the list for many reporters. Journalists are watching us closely, and my community is ready to share our story because the nation needs to know what is happening here and who is responsible. I assume you do not wish to be named as responsible for ignoring these concerns?
Moving forward... I know I can come across as brash or blunt. I prefer being direct to offering false deference where it is not deserved. However, when I do show respect, it is true and unwavering.
My community and I are trying desperately to work with you to protect our county—and that includes protecting you and our county from future lawsuits, Commissioner Beckett. I know that is a fear of yours, but do not think for a second that Bastropians do not understand or care about that risk. It is insulting to suggest otherwise. Bastropians offer all of you a pool of diverse knowledge, experience, expertise, and outside the box ideas that only strengthen this community. Ignoring any of this resources of knowledge, you do at your own political peril.
So I hope we can act like adults and work together.
Commissioner Meuth: I am still waiting for a reply to my last email. Please contact me to discuss setting up a time to meet with your constituents in person, in a safe environment where dialogue can remain respectful, open, and productive. I wish to discuss avenues you can personally take to better communicate with those who elected you.
You each have a real opportunity—and a duty—to put out the fires of local outrage. Stand with us, and we will gladly make room for you. Deny Pacifico public funding resources, and watch that rage subside. We CAN work together.
You are part of this community; show us that means something to you.
With Deepest Sincerity,
Jenai M
CEDAR CREEK
78612
Copy and Past these emails directly into a new email draft: gregory.klaus@co.bastrop.tx.us,
Butch Carmack <charles.carmack@co.bastrop.tx.us
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