Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Data Center Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter urges Oconee County to consider ordinance regulating data centers
Summary
A public commenter cited recent opposition in Walterboro and urged the commission to add a discussion on regulating data centers to the Feb. 2 agenda; commissioners moved and approved adding the item for future discussion.
A member of the public urged the Oconee County Planning Commission to draft an ordinance regulating the development of data centers after recounting local opposition in another jurisdiction. Speaker 2 asked the commission to add a discussion of data-center regulation to the Feb. 2 agenda; the motion was seconded and approved.
Speaker 2 described residents' pushback against a proposed AI data center in Walterboro and said county ordinances do not currently list data centers: "If you type in data center into the Oconee ordinance code it doesn't nothing comes up," Speaker 2 said, arguing the commission should "get ahead of it." The commenter highlighted concerns about water usage, noise, and electricity demand, saying nearby residents in other cases have reported degraded water quality and constant noise from 24/7 operations.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the specific concerns to address if staff prepares an agenda item. Speaker 5 asked what major concerns the commission should focus on; Speaker 2 suggested water use, noise and electricity impacts as primary topics to prepare for the February meeting.
Outcome: the commission voted to add a discussion of an ordinance regulating data centers to the Feb. 2 agenda for initial consideration and staff preparation. No ordinance text or formal regulatory language was proposed at this meeting; further vetting and staff research were requested.
