Hood County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to postpone action on two data center projects in order to receive and review information. They also prohibited County Judge Ron Massingill from signing on to a solar project without a concept plan.
Citizens who showed up at the March 24 meeting again expressed concerns about the effects of these projects on the local environment, including draining precious water resources, as well as the potential for bad actors to access critical infrastructure through components made in hostile nations.
Projects Red and Yellow
During the meeting, it was revealed that MARA Holdings is connected with the two data center developments, known as Projects Red and Yellow. That company runs a Bitcoin mining operation in Hood County that citizens complained generates noise pollution.
Bonnie Robie spoke to commissioners on behalf of her four friends, who she said live near the operation and “are almost deaf” after two years of exposure.
The MARA revelation came during a back-and-forth between Commissioner Nannette Samuelson and Attorney Thomas Mann, representing the projects.
Mann said Starwood, the developer of Red and Yellow, and MARA aren’t the same.
“But you have a joint venture,” Samuelson replied. She then read a February 2026 press release where MARA announced a “strategic agreement” with Starwood Capital Group and their “dedicated data center platform development Starwood
