After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area
News ClipCapital B News·Walterboro, Colleton County, SC·1/6/2026
Residents in Colleton County, South Carolina are fighting a proposed data center complex and gas power plant that would replace woods and wetlands in their predominantly Black community. The project was proposed after developers failed to build a similar campus in a predominantly white county in Georgia. Residents are concerned about the environmental and health impacts, including water usage, air pollution, and property values.
zoningenvironmentalelectricitywater
Gov: Colleton County Board of Supervisors, South Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Trump administration
Data centers and energy projects are being targeted at Black and rural communities in South Carolina, raising concerns about environmental justice. Developers of a proposed massive data center complex in Colleton County tried to build a similar project in a predominantly white county in Georgia but failed, and then shifted their focus to this predominantly Black community. Local residents are fighting the data center and a related $5 billion gas power plant, citing health and environmental risks. The Trump administration is also looking to build data centers on contaminated Superfund sites, further burdening communities of color. The fight highlights how the growth of the data and AI industry is disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.