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Residents demand moratorium, independent study on proposed Appling data center
Summary
During public comment at the Nov. 4 Columbia County commissioners meeting, residents raised concerns about a proposed large data center in Appling — citing scale, water and power impacts, opaque real-estate deals, and asking for a six-month moratorium and independent study.
Several speakers at the Nov. 4 Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting urged the board to halt further progress on a proposed data center in Appling and commission an independent study to verify the project’s claimed benefits and impacts.
Alan Wyatt of Citizens for Open Governance told the board the project is "the largest project in Columbia County history," calling it a 2,000‑acre, "$12,000,000,000" industrial complex and saying it would require oversized power and water resources. "If the Columbia County data center is all that the board claims it is, then enact a 6 month moratorium and secure an independent study," Wyatt said.
Other residents raised similar concerns about scale, transparency and long‑term costs. John Migas, who described three decades of technology and data‑center experience, urged closed‑loop cooling requirements and asked the commission to authorize an independent cohort of residents with technical expertise to review assessments. "Please be transparent and proactive in your messaging," Migas said, adding that many residents feel the information provided so far is insufficient.
Lee Muns, speaking later in the public comment period, framed the controversy as a conflict with the county’s Vision 2035 comprehensive plan and pressed for detailed public disclosure of how any projected tax revenues are calculated. "If a project is promoted based on economic benefit, then the public deserves to know the following: Are these revenue projections locked in for the life of the facility?" Muns asked.
Speakers also questioned who is conducting the county’s assessments and noted county land purchases and commercial activity in the area. Alan Wyatt said the county currently holds a $30 million loan and a $59 million purchase agreement for the land and accused developers and utilities of quietly assembling infrastructure nearby; he described nondisclosure agreements as creating information asymmetry that disadvantages citizens.
No formal action or vote on the data‑center project was recorded at the Nov. 4 meeting. Multiple speakers asked the commission to consider a moratorium and to convene a public, independent review before the project moves forward. Diane Jarrett, who also spoke during public comment, noted the planning commission will take up new data‑center zoning regulations in the coming days and recommended citizens attend that meeting.
Next steps: the planning commission is scheduled to consider new zoning regulations for data centers at an upcoming meeting; residents urged commissioners to pursue a moratorium and an independent technical and environmental review before rezoning or finalizing land sales.
