'The last thing they need': Rep. Mace calls for pause on data center construction in SC
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace is advocating for a pause on data center construction in South Carolina, echoing local and state-level efforts and public concerns. This call comes after Colleton County enacted a six-month moratorium and state lawmakers attempted similar measures, which have been complicated by federal pushes to limit state regulation over AI and data centers. Opposition groups are highlighting environmental and economic concerns regarding data centers' high energy consumption versus low job creation.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace has joined a growing chorus of lawmakers calling for a pause on new data center construction in South Carolina. Her comments follow an intense public debate, including a proposed 1,000-megawatt data center in Colleton County, where the county council advanced a six-month moratorium in early May.
State lawmakers also attempted to pass a temporary hiatus on data center construction until 2028, but these efforts face challenges from President Donald Trump's executive order and a detailed White House policy framework, which aim to create a "single national framework" for AI and block state-level regulations. Despite a letter from over 230 national, state, and local organizations calling for a national moratorium, federal legislative attempts, such as the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have failed to gain traction.
Environmental advocacy groups, such as Food & Water Watch, highlight the significant energy consumption of data centers (over 4% of U.S. electricity usage) compared to their low job creation numbers, citing research that found only about 23,000 permanent data center jobs nationwide as of 2024. This has fueled local opposition, with residents clashing with developers over controversial projects and concerns about economic and environmental impacts.
Mace specifically advocates for a one-year moratorium in South Carolina to allow the state to establish clear rules, ensuring data centers "pay their own way" and preventing issues like eminent domain. This stance underscores the ongoing tension between local and state regulatory efforts and federal policies regarding the rapidly expanding data center industry.