Residents urge Lee County to renew fracking moratorium citing Deep River risks

Several residents and regional environmental advocates asked commissioners to renew a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and to pause permitting for a proposed data center near the historic Butler Number 3 well.

Debbie Hall, who lives about a mile from Butler Number 3, described the river as a community recreation and water resource and asked the commission to "say no to this right now" to protect the Deep River and nearby residents. Stephanie Stevens, Deep Riverkeeper, noted that Lee County previously passed moratoria in 2015 and 2017 and said new data-center projects require significant energy and water that could increase environmental risk; she cited emerging research that data-center wastewater can contain PFOS chemicals.

Keely Porridge and other speakers said many residents are unaware their mineral rights do not belong to them and urged commissioners to act preemptively rather than wait for permit applications. Donna Strickland cited the county population (noting a 2025 census figure of 69,653 mentioned at the hearing) and asked why the county should risk water quality and community safety to advance subsurface drilling for private gain.

Speakers asked the board to consider another two-year county moratorium on fracking and to evaluate data-center proposals' long-term environmental and water impacts before allowing exploration or permit approvals. No formal moratorium motion or vote was recorded at the meeting; the public comments were entered into the record for commissioners' consideration.