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Although the ultimate quest To build a gas plant that could power every home in Abilene more than 20 times, Stargate’s developers started with a much smaller project on paper. In 2024, they obtained permission to operate energy sources at the site through simple permits known as “base permits” and “standard permits.”
Widely understood to be used by low-level polluters across the country, these permits do not require environmental studies, public notification, or public comment periods.
Bruce Puckett, a former EPA executive who served under multiple Republican administrations, says state agencies typically use the rule-by-base permitting process “for small things that happen a lot,” like gas stations or dry cleaners, so “they don’t have to waste their time reinventing the wheel for common things.”
But Stargate “isn’t a common thing,” he says. Under the minor permits, Stargate’s fleet of 10 turbines and 62 diesel backup generators is currently permitted to emit more than 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases and 1,000 tons of harmful air pollutants combined each year. Although continued use is allowed, Stargate developer Crusoe tells Floodlight that the turbines will only be used for backup power.
“This permit is usually tailored to the rule and implemented in case the operator wants one or three backup generators,” says Puckett. “When you get to 62, you start thinking, ‘Okay, wait a minute, maybe the meter is wrong here.’”
Stargate is not alone. Since 2024, at least 38 data centers across Texas have received simple permits to run on-site power supplies, according to a Floodlight analysis. As a result, Texas regulators quietly approved the use of more than 2,100 backup diesel generators across the state.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality did not answer specific questions regarding Floodlight’s findings. Instead, a representative wrote, “The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality only issues flight permits that comply with applicable state and federal rules and regulations regarding flight permits, including applicable public participation requirements.”
