LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A Democrat running for Congress said Tuesday that large-scale data centers drain West Texas communities of water, electricity and tax revenue without returning enough to the region.

Kyle Rable, who spoke at a public hearing on the issue, said the projects are harmful despite the jobs they may bring."I think one of the biggest issues is data centers are extractive," Rable said.

"I'm all for jobs and we need more jobs in West Texas but at the cost of what? They get to run rampant, they get tax breaks, they don't pay into the system, they get to take our water, they get to use our electricity grid... but they don't really pay back into what West Texas needs."Rable's comments come as data centers have become a statewide flashpoint.