Lee County residents call for moratorium on fracking, drilling and AI data centers
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Summary
Dozens of residents told the Lee County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 15 that a proposed Deep River Data project and associated drilling or fracking at Butler Well No. 3 could threaten drinking wells and the Deep River; speakers urged the board to enact a moratorium while the county studies the risks.
Dozens of Lee County residents urged the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 15 to enact a moratorium on fracking, drilling and AI data centers tied to a proposal by Deep River Data that would rely on local gas extraction.
Residents said the project — tied in public testimony to drilling at Butler Well Number 3 — poses risks to private wells, the Deep River and public health. ‘‘I'm requesting an extension on the memorandum against fracking in our county,’’ Christine Morgan said, adding that protecting clean air and water was a moral obligation. Sheila Sherrick, who said she lives on the Hawkins River and relies on a private well, told commissioners she could not afford to connect to city water and urged a ban on fracking and data centers to avoid contamination and illness.
Speakers offered technical and policy arguments: Steph Gans of Clean Water for North Carolina said the well in question is about 2,700 feet deep and that local groundwater sits at depths up to roughly 1,000 feet, raising concerns that fractures could reach drinking water; she also cited an example data center in Alamance County that uses roughly 11 megawatts and covers about 60,000 square feet yet employs a small number of staff. ‘‘Please pass a moratorium on fracking, drilling, and data centers to protect this county,’’ Gans said.
Other commenters raised related points: several referenced experiences in Pennsylvania, concerns about shallow shale formations locally, potential groundwater contamination, and the scale of long‑term local employment from data centers. Alexandra Reid and other speakers urged commissioners to ‘‘pause and reflect’’ before allowing projects that could trade water and air quality for limited tax or job gains.
The public comment period was extensive, with multiple residents saying developers are already corresponding with the North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission, and urging the board to act now to prevent permit applications from moving forward. No formal board action on a moratorium was recorded during the meeting.
Next steps: commissioners acknowledged the comments but did not vote on a moratorium at the Dec. 15 meeting; public speakers said they want the board to consider an ordinance or temporary moratorium at a future meeting.
