Data center siting snapshot: Milam County, Texas

Line miles are measured from the archived HIFLD Transmission Lines layer inside the Census county boundary. Mapped lines are not available capacity.

What the public record shows

The archived HIFLD map displays approximately 82.5 miles of 345 kV transmission line within Milam County, with no miles recorded at 500 kV or 230 kV ^[1]. An additional 93.7 miles of 115–161 kV line are mapped in the area ^[2]. Oncor Electric Delivery and Oncor Electric Delivery Company hold the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles ^[3]. One named line endpoint touching 230 kV+ lines is mapped inside the county ^[4]. Retail electric utilities with mapped service territory covering part of the county include Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Bartlett Electric Cooperative, Oncor Electric Delivery Company, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, and Entergy Texas ^[5].

Our records hold no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Milam County as of 2026-11-09 ^[6]. At the state level, a Governor directive instructing TCEQ to halt data center permits is in force, dated 2026-09-21 ^[7]. A separate Governor directive for a comprehensive data center audit is in force, dated 2026-08-03 ^[8]. SB 6, enacted on 2025-06-20, requires PUCT/ERCOT large-load planning and interconnection standards ^[9]. A proposed statutory moratorium by the Governor-elect is dated 2026-11-04 ^[10]. HB 3970 and HB 5588 both failed in 2025 ^[11][12].

Drafted by our local model from the numbered facts below, then checked sentence by sentence by a second model and a rules-based check.

Data center rules on record

Rule records come from The MW Desk legislation tracker, which includes rows from the Moratorium Nation dataset by Michael J. Bommarito (CC BY 4.0). Statuses change; confirm with the jurisdiction's own record.

Utilities on record

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Bartlett Electric Cooperative, Oncor Electric Delivery, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, Entergy Texas. (HIFLD/EIA-861 territory polygons; approximate and often overlapping.)

Market context on The MW Desk: Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin / San Antonio, West Texas (Abilene, Shackelford, Permian), Houston, Texas Panhandle (Amarillo).

Sources

1. [1] The archived HIFLD map shows about 82.5 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line inside Milam County, TX: 0.0 miles at 500 kV or more, 82.5 miles at 345 kV and 0.0 miles at 230 kV. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
2. [2] The same map shows about 93.7 miles of 115–161 kV line in the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
3. [3] Owners of record with the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles in the county: Oncor Electric Delivery, Oncor Electric Delivery Company. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
4. [4] 1 named line endpoints touching 230 kV+ lines (usually substations or switchyards) are mapped inside the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
5. [5] Retail electric utilities whose mapped service territory covers part of the county include: Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Bartlett Electric Cooperative, Oncor Electric Delivery Company, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, Entergy Texas. Territory boundaries are approximate. Source: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (EIA-861 based; archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
6. [6] Our records hold no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Milam County as of 2026-11-09. Source: The MW Desk legislation tracker
7. [7] Texas state/utility level, Texas: Governor directive: TCEQ to halt data center permits. Status: in force, dated 2026-09-21. Source: Office of the Texas Governor: Governor Abbott directs TCEQ to halt data center permits
8. [8] Texas state/utility level, Texas: Governor directive: comprehensive data center audit (ERCOT Batch Zero). Status: in force, dated 2026-08-03. Source: Office of the Texas Governor: Governor Abbott directs comprehensive data center audit
9. [9] Texas state/utility level, Texas: SB 6 (89R, 2025) (Requires PUCT/ERCOT large-load planning and interconnection standards; applies to large loads at a default 75 MW single-site threshold; addresses interconnection studies, cost allocation, co-location, and emergency curtailment). Status: enacted, dated 2025-06-20. Source: SB 6 (89R, 2025) primary source
10. [10] Texas state/utility level, Texas: Governor-elect pledge: statutory moratorium (Gina Hinojosa (elected Nov 3) campaigned on an immediate moratorium lasting until the Legislature passes protections. BMI says the pause could plausibly extend into late 2027). Status: proposed, dated 2026-11-04. Source: DCD: Anti-data center candidates claim victory across the US in 2026 midterm elections
11. [11] Texas state/utility level, Texas: HB 3970 (89R, 2025) (Large-load interconnection and operation provisions). Status: failed, dated 2025-05-15. Source: Texas Legislature Online - HB 3970 (89R) Bill History
12. [12] Texas state/utility level, Texas: HB 5588 (89R, 2025) (Proposed ad valorem tax exemption for data center real and personal property tied to energy demand). Status: failed, dated 2025-04-07. Source: Texas Legislature Online - HB 5588 (89R) Bill History