A Rural S.C. County Approved a $2B Data Center During the Winter Storm
21 hours ago
- #rural-communities
- #environmental-justice
- #data-centers
- A rare winter storm in South Carolina coincided with Marion County officials approving a $2.4 billion data center project without public awareness.
- Residents were unaware of the Jan. 22 council meeting due to storm preparations and a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that kept the project, dubbed 'Project Liberty,' secret.
- Developers frequently use NDAs to conceal projects in majority-Black rural counties with less political and economic power, like Marion County, which has high poverty and unemployment rates.
- Data centers strain local water and power supplies, with projections indicating they will use water equivalent to 5.5 million people by 2028 and contribute to rising air pollution.
- Similar projects have faced resistance in other areas, such as Colleton County, where a predominantly white community successfully blocked a data center, leading to legal challenges.
- Zoning ordinances across the U.S., including in Louisiana and Georgia, facilitate data center growth, often at the expense of rural environments and communities.
- Gas-fired power plants, heavily used by data centers, emit PM2.5 pollutants linked to severe health issues, disproportionately affecting Black Americans.
- Marion County's deal includes a tax agreement saving developers millions, with promises of $28 million annual revenue for the county, but only 20 permanent jobs for its 30,000 residents.
- The Trump administration and Republican-led states have pushed policies to fast-track data center construction, often bypassing environmental reviews and public input.
- Local opposition in Marion County highlighted concerns over transparency, resource strain, and the rushed approval process, with one council member advocating for a slowdown.