Council Offers Assurances, but No Moratorium
WINNSBORO – County Council Chair Clarence Gilbert urged community members, during Monday night’s county council meeting, to disregard rumors that a data center is looking at Fairfield.
“No one has approached the county about bringing a data center to Fairfield,” Gilbert said.
A source with firsthand knowledge has confirmed with The Voice, however, that a data center LLC team is already negotiating an option on at least one Fairfield County property.
While most properties in the county would have to have rezoning approval from the county for a data center to be constructed, audience members who spoke at the meeting, weren’t convinced by Gilbert’s assurances.
Several Fairfield County residents came forward during the public comment period to express their urgent concerns that council immediately adopt a moratorium on data centers, voicing their worry over possible impacts of a data center moving into rural western Fairfield County and adversely affecting their water and electricity capacity, bringing noise, lowering property values and ruining western Fairfield’s rural character.
Instead, council members sought to calm rumors about data centers coming, and repeatedly assured the audience that no company has approached the county about locating a facility in Fairfield and that no decision would be made without extensive research.
There was nothing on the agenda addressing data centers except an executive session agenda item specifically listing discussion of “matters relating to the proposed location, expansion, or provision of services to data centers.” However, council took no public action before or after the closed-door meeting to establish a moratorium, even though one councilman told The Voice following the meeting that they had all agreed on a moratorium during executive session – an action that does not comply with the S.C. Freedom of Information law.
Several residents said they had come expecting council to approve or at least discuss publicly a temporary moratorium similar to those already adopted or being considered in other South Carolina counties.
Vivian Stevenson Powell, speaking on behalf of Fairfield County citizens and the Randy Sims Cancer Network, listed what she called the major concerns associated with large-scale data centers, including heavy water use, increased electrical demand, generator noise, environmental impacts, traffic, limited permanent jobs and possible declines in nearby property values.
“We do not want data centers here in this county,” Powell said, urging council to protect residents and reconsider any plans that could accompany expansion around the V.C. Summer site.
Jenkinsville Mayor Gregory Ginyard said rumors that council would discuss purchasing property for data centers had alarmed residents in western Fairfield County.
“The people in Jenkinsville, we don’t want it,” Ginyard said. “Bottom line, we don’t even think it should be in Fairfield County.”
He questioned where the enormous quantities of cooling water would come from and expressed concern about impacts on Lake Monticello, groundwater supplies, and electrical rates.
“We’re asking you, council, to really be considerate of the people in the Jenkinsville community,” he said. “We don’t need data centers.”
Pastor Joseph McBride of Praise and Deliverance Temple said his family had already lost property when the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station was built and fears history could repeat itself.
“I purchased some property that I plan to leave to my heirs,” McBride said. “What am I going to be able to leave if they take it?”
He urged council to reject data centers, saying Fairfield County had already experienced enough environmental concerns.
“We simply just don’t need it in Fairfield County,” he said.
Winnsboro resident Yvette Howard told council that some other South Carolina counties have already begun slowing or stopping data center projects while studying their long-term impacts.
She pointed to Newberry County’s moratorium, Spartanburg County’s consideration of one, and legal disputes surrounding projects elsewhere in the state.
“Our county’s strategic plan recognizes citizens’ concern about the tremendous demands data centers have on water, electricity, the relatively few jobs they create, and the importance of protecting our natural resources and rural character,” Howard said. “The decision that you make here tonight will affect Fairfield County for generations.”
Randy Bright, of Ridgeway, praised last week’s informational session hosted by Rep. Annie McDaniel as a positive first step but said Fairfield remains unprepared for data centers.
“The only way to be prepared is to conduct extensive studies,” Bright said. “Enact a one-year moratorium so that we can do it right.”
During council time following the regular meeting, several council members voiced personal support for a moratorium.
Councilman Dan Ruff said he believes the county still has much to learn.
“I hope we’re going to look into this and place a moratorium,” Ruff said, but stopped short of calling for one.
Council Vice-Chair Carl Bell acknowledged residents’ concerns but passed them off as unfounded rumors that are circulating.
“Council is not going into executive session tonight to make a certain determination on data centers,” Bell said, even though the executive session agenda item specifically stated council would be discussing “the proposed location, expansion, or provision of services to data centers in the area served by Fairfield County.”
Bell added that while large land purchases are occurring in the county, council has not spoken with those buyers and does not know their intentions. He did not specify where those purchased properties are located.
“We haven’t officially, formally, or informally been contacted by any data centers,” Bell said. “We are not hiding anything from anybody.”
Bell encouraged citizens to stay engaged with both county council and state legislators because South Carolina currently lacks comprehensive regulations governing data centers.
“As we educate ourselves, we’re going to educate you as well,” he said.
Councilman Don Goldbach said council members are researching the issue and exploring ways to protect county residents if data centers are ever proposed.
“There are things like community benefits agreements…that outlines benefits for the citizens of the county,” Goldbach said.
He added that he favors a moratorium but did not call for one.
“Just know that we are doing a lot of work on this subject.”
Gilbert echoed Bell’s comments, saying council has not been approached by any data center developer.
“We have not been approached by anyone to my knowledge about data centers,” Gilbert said.
“We will not make a decision without getting as much information as we possibly can.”
Gilbert also urged residents not to believe rumors that data centers are already coming to Fairfield County.
“We’re doing our own work,” he said. “We will do what’s right for you.”
Council then entered executive session to receive legal advice and “discussion of matters relating to the proposed location, expansion, or provision of services to data centers in the area served by Fairfield County.” No public discussion followed and no public vote was taken.
Following executive session, County Administrator Vic Carpenter was the only one to speak.
“There were some citizen comments earlier that somewhat referred to the [executive session] we just held,” Carpenter said, explaining the title of the executive session item.
“The language in the agenda [“discussion of matters relating to the proposed location, expansion, or provision of services to data centers in the area served by Fairfield County”] is common language used for meetings such as this,” he said. “What council wanted me to stress is that there was no discussion about data centers locating in this county. There are no known data center projects. We were just discussing the legal aspects of a moratorium, which we would anticipate being on the next agenda for the community to see as well as language for first reading.”
That meeting has now been postponed until the second Monday in August since council members will be in Isle of Palms attending a week of training classes on the first Monday, the regular schedule for council meetings.