A rural community steps up to stop data centers

In Stokes County, North Carolina, the Board of Commissioners approved two significant decisions on January 12, 2026, that sparked strong opposition from local communities. The county first rezoned approximately 1,845 acres along the Dan River, previously designated for residential and agricultural uses, to permit a hyperscale data center complex known as Project Delta. This approval came despite a recommendation from the county's own Planning Board to deny the rezoning and a lack of public information regarding the project's scale, infrastructure requirements, and potential impacts. Simultaneously, the county amended its zoning ordinance to allow data centers as a permitted use in heavy manufacturing districts county-wide, which now allows future data center construction without required county approval or public hearings. This move has been criticized by groups like the Dan River Basin Association and CleanAIRE NC for its potential environmental strain, including air, noise, and light pollution, as well as demands on water and power resources. Residents, including Crystal Cavalier-Keck of 7 Directions of Service and Robert Hairston of the National Hairston Clan, have voiced concerns over the threat to Indigenous ancestral lands, historic Black communities, and burial sites. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), alongside the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of community groups, including CleanAIRE NC, Dan River Basin Association, and 7 Directions of Service. The lawsuit challenges both the Project Delta rezoning and the countywide zoning amendment, arguing that the county's decisions were unlawful and lacked adequate information, analysis, and public process, ultimately jeopardizing the community's way of life and its natural and cultural resources.