Welcome to Deceleration In Depth, where we are growing solutions for an overheating world. We highlight the latest global, national, and regional developments in climate and environmental justice to better inform local action. Deceleration is rooted in San Antonio and the South Texas bioregion but our concerns and enthusiasm are broad. Pitch us your story idea at editor@deceleration.news.
- Log in to our website to comment.
- Become a paying supporter—with benefits!
- Review Deceleration on Apple Podcasts or Facebook or ... wherever.
- Forward this email to friends; grow the work.
What do you want us to cover next? Members may leave a comment below.
Climate Adaptation Being Slashed
As Deceleration warned a year ago, the San Antonio budget ax is falling on our most inventive and community-led climate efforts. After clawing back a funding mechanism developed by City Council to move CPS Energy funds into local resilience efforts, City Manager Erik Walsh is now proposing eliminating three staffers leading climate adaptation programming. This will crater key community programs and reduce the number of outreach events from 100 to 10. At 3pm today, members of the SA Climate Ready Advisory Committee will be discussing the future of local climate resilience efforts in a time of forced austerity and accelerating ecological crisis.
Data Centers
On Aug. 5, 2026, several members of San Antonio City Council, including Ric Galvan (D6), circulated a memo calling for a special meeting for a vote on a draft ordinance creating a moratorium on new data center development in the city. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, there will be a "briefing" on a possible "building permit moratorium and Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments related to data centers." It follows a 9am meeting the same day ("Data Centers - Zoning and Land Use Discussion") geared toward defining data centers under the UDC.
First up is discussion of creation of a UDC classification for data centers under local zoning so they can be regulated. The current proposal would force them 500 feet from schools, daycares, residential areas, and institutions of higher learning—and keep them off the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone—but would still allow development under a range of zoning classifications, including: “C-3” General Commercial District, “L” Light Industrial District, “BP” Business Park District, “I-1” General Industrial District, “I-2” Heavy Industrial District, “MI-1” Mixed Industrial District, “MI-2” Mixed Heavy Industrial District.
- 9am Tues., Aug. 25, 2026
- City of San Antonio Development Services (Board Room)
- 1901 South Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX
Convened for a briefing and discussion of a possible data center building permit moratorium and UDC amendments. Preceded by a 1:30pm outside rally in support hosted by Climate Justice San Antonio. This meeting was called for in a memo by Councilmembers Ric Galvan (D6), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), and Teri Castillo (D5).
- 2pm Tues., Aug. 25, 2026
- Municipal Plaza Building
- 114 W. Commerce St., San Antonio, Texas 78205
3. Extra Credit: The only problem with moratoriums are they stop at the city line (or county line, state line, etc.) Hungry billionaires know to have backups in place. And frankly, they've already well scoured the rural-suburban interface across the state. Seguin, Texas, remains in the crosshairs, for instance. And the Data Center Action Coalition has again put out the call for folks to pack the meeting in opposition:
Palomino is coming back to Crystal Clear again to try to get water. This is our chance for a THIRD WIN against data centers in this cluster. CCSUD will finally be voting this time, so we need everyone to show up and make our voices heard!
Last month we learned about the major corruption scandal involving Palomino & Guadalupe Co. Judge Kyle Kutscher, who has been coming to every Crystal Clear board meeting to pressure the board into approving water so that his family can make $62 million off their land sale to Palomino. This is after he coordinated Palomino’s tax abatement behind the scenes while publicly pretending to recuse himself. And he may have gotten away with it, if not for us meddling kids.
- 6:30pm Thurs., Aug. 27, 2026
- Geronimo Community Center
- 280 Navarro Dr, Seguin, TX 78155
- Email info@crystalclearsud.org to sign up to speak.