Editorial: Locals have powerful tools as SC Legislature dilly-dallies on data center law

The Post and Courier's editorial board criticizes the South Carolina Legislature for its ongoing inaction regarding a proposed law aimed at regulating artificial intelligence data centers. This legislation, currently stalled, seeks to implement measures that would require AI data centers to cover the full cost of their electricity consumption, enforce limits on water usage, and designate certain sensitive environmental areas as off-limits for development. Despite the state legislature's delay, the editorial emphasizes that individual cities and counties within South Carolina possess inherent legal authority and various tools to address these concerns at the local level.