Many are disappointed in county council’s dismissive response Monday night to citizens urging council to be proactive in preparation for the very real likelihood of a data center invasion that could bring an incredible amount of noise, air, ground, and light pollution, an excessive strain on the energy grid, and on first responder and health resources. It would also demand an egregious amount of water usage in a county with a vulnerable water supply.
Council further highlighted their disdain for public concern by implicating citizens as rumor-mongers when they questioned the integrity and transparency of a county council executive session that specified: ‘Receipt of 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.’
In an illuminating summary of council’s reactions to citizens’ data center concerns, the council announced they will not meet for a month and suggested citizens reach out to the state for their concerns, instead of demonstrating a sense of urgency by scheduling an immediate emergency meeting that could at least manifest a resolution for serious movement toward a data center moratorium like many counties in South Carolina and throughout the nation have already enacted.
Remember, citizens throughout the state have already reached out to the state to protect them from data center harm for the last two years with zero results. The county cannot also abdicate its responsibility to protect its citizens with effective data center regulatory legislation.
What the Fairfield community deserves is an emergency resolution to prioritize prompt, thorough data center research during a moratorium, and a data center ordinance that employs strict conditional use permitting, mandates water-neutral or closed-loop cooling, caps noise, water, and air pollution, requires air quality and generator controls, demands decommissioning bonds, and requires developers to preserve wildlife corridors and adequate buffer zones in residential areas and so much more.
It’s time for county council to quit blaming citizens and the state and take immediate responsibility for protecting the county, starting with an emergency meeting rather than delaying action until after their trip to the beach.
Randy Bright
Ridgeway