West Texas Data Center Project Addresses Activist Concerns Head-On

BusinessEnergyWest Texas Data Center Project Addresses Activist Concerns Head-OnByDavid Blackmon,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Blackmon is a Texas-based public policy analyst/consultant.Follow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 08:25am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Schematic rendering of Project Horizon, located near Fort Stockton, Texas.Poolside Infrastructure CompanyAs data centers sprout up across America to fuel the AI boom, controversy follows. Protests have erupted in recent weeks over concerns about massive electricity demands straining grids, fears of water shortages in drought-prone regions, and disruptions to local communities from construction traffic and noise. Activists and some local citizens paint the industry as an environmental and social juggernaut, eating up resources while delivering benefits few truly grasp and which the industry has not adequately describes. A Proactive Approach to Addressing Data Center ConcernsAmid this rising tide of opposition, one project in far west Texas is taking an innovative approach to addressing major issues up front: Poolside Infrastructure Company’s Project Horizon, a 1.2 GW AI campus rising in the Permian Basin desert near Fort Stockton, Texas. Rather than allowing problems to fester and attract organized opposition, Project Horizon demonstrates how vertical integration, smart engineering, and community focus can turn infrastructure challenges into competitive advantages.“Public resistance to data centers in other areas like Ohio and Pennsylvania is real and it’s understandable,” Robert Bonar, CEO of San Francisco based Poolside Infrastructure Company, says. “Residents of those areas are being impacted, whether it be water usage, power rates, land prices and everything else. Looking at that, we believe there's a better solution here.”Robert Bonar, new CEO of Poolside I...