Residents seek data center moratorium as lawmakers challenge Chatham pipeline
Environmental advocates, elected officials and residents gathered in Pittsboro to call for a two-year statewide moratorium on new data centers, citing concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, infrastructure costs and environmental impacts. The protest also opposed Enbridge Gas North Carolina’s proposed 28-mile pipeline and a proposed 750-megawatt data center in Moncure.
Residents and environmental groups from Chatham and Lee counties rallied in Pittsboro for a two-year statewide pause on new data center development. Speakers focused on the proposed 750-megawatt Moncure data center associated with Sanford developer Kirk Bradley, arguing that communities need more time to assess impacts on water resources, electricity demand, emergency services, farmland and local finances.
The gathering also highlighted opposition to Enbridge Gas North Carolina’s proposed 28-mile pipeline between Siler City and Moncure. State Sen. Natalie Murdock and Rep. Robert Reives asked the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct additional environmental review, while the Chatham County Board of Commissioners has adopted a resolution opposing the pipeline. Enbridge says the project is intended to serve broader regional gas demand and is not designed to supply the data center.