El Paso families could end up paying for a power plant built for one of the largest tech companies in the world. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has the power to stop that from happening.

El Paso Electric wants to build a $499 million natural gas plant, made up of 813 small generators, to run Meta's new $10 billion data center in northeast El Paso. Meta would pay for the plant during its first five years. After that, the utility has left the door open to charging its regular customers.

State administrative law judges reviewed the plan and found serious problems. El Paso Electric never asked other companies to bid, never studied whether cheaper options existed, and never checked whether the plant made financial sense for customers. According to the judges, the choice was shaped by the timeline and preferences of Wurldwide, a Meta subsidiary. Their recommendation: approve the plant only if customers never pay to build or run it, and deny it otherwise.

The plan also walks back an earlier promise. Utility officials once said solar power would supply the data center, in a city famous for its sunshine. Instead, residents are facing a gas plant that raises worries about dirtier air, water use in the desert, and higher electric bills. More than 1,000 people submitted comments opposing the plan through the local Sembrando Esperanza Coalition.

The five PUCT commissioners will make the final call, and the vote has not been scheduled yet. They should lock the judges' protection into any approval so El Paso ratepayers never cover this bill, and require a fair review of cleaner, lower-cost options first.

Sign the petition to tell the PUCT that Meta's power plant is Meta's bill, not El Paso's.