South Carolina county passes first reading on data center moratorium

Colleton County Council in South Carolina has unanimously approved the first reading of a six-month moratorium on data center development, effectively pausing plans for an 800-plus-acre project and any future data centers in the rural area. The decision, made during a May 4 meeting, comes amidst significant citizen concerns and a pending lawsuit filed by two landowners regarding the proposed development. The ordinance imposes a temporary halt on all land use and development approvals for data centers, allowing the county council, staff, and Planning Commission time to review and amend existing land use codes. This review aims to identify suitable locations for data centers, potentially under special exemption or conditional use, and to establish clear development conditions. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) expressed encouragement, with Policy Advocate Robby Maynor stating that the moratorium is a positive step towards ensuring data centers are appropriately sited to minimize impacts on communities and natural resources, particularly in the sensitive ACE Basin. SELC will continue to monitor the ordinance's adoption and forthcoming changes to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code. The article also notes that similar data center moratoriums have been proposed or enacted in at least 12 states and 100 local governments, often driven by concerns over energy consumption, water usage, and land utilization. A national "Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act" and a similar measure in the S.C. Legislature are also pending approval.