Residents urge Edgecombe County to pause data center plans, demand environmental and safety reviews

At an Edgecombe County Commission meeting, multiple residents urged commissioners to halt or subject a proposed data center in the Kingsborough area to independent environmental and safety reviews before any approval.

Residents and local experts warned of potential impacts on water, air and public safety. "We do not want a data center building in Edgecombe County," said Kenneth Moore, who spoke for Kingsborough neighbors. Christian Hensley, who lives across from the proposed site, said the project "doesn't really seem like it's bringing good for the community" and named water consumption, noise and potential declines in property values as community concerns. "We cannot eat money," organizer Owen Ellis said, arguing that promised economic benefits do not outweigh environmental risks.

Stace Bohofsky, who identified herself as an environmental health and safety manager, urged the board to deny the proposal as presented and to require independent studies. "These kinds of emergencies will directly compete with the town's ability to protect people's homes," Bohofsky said, citing data‑center fire incidents and concerns about the proposed battery energy storage system. She asked for a full environmental‑impact assessment, independent air‑quality modeling, NPDES permitting, disclosure of cooling chemicals and a funded emergency and fire‑response plan that would not burden taxpayers.

Other commentators raised specific technical questions. A resident cited local water‑system numbers and estimated the data center's water use at "between 1 and 5,000,000 gallons per day," and asked whether the county's wastewater system could remove contaminants or who would pay for system upgrades.

Commissioners did not take a final vote on the project. Several members said they were taking public concerns seriously and described steps for more engagement: staff will make a paper and electronic survey available, and county staff offered to schedule a public presentation explaining the local, state and federal roles in economic‑development review. One commissioner said they would not vote on the project "until we have those necessary things in hand," signaling that the board plans to defer any approval until additional environmental and technical information is provided.

The meeting also produced a request from the public for clearer, independent analysis: residents asked for groundwater impact studies, drought‑specific water supply analyses, independent air modeling, and a transparent emergency‑response plan. The commission acknowledged those requests and said the public will be informed if and when the item is formally placed on a future agenda.