Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Data Centers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Greenwood County Council approves one-year moratorium on data centers after heated public comment
Summary
On a 4–3 vote the Greenwood County Council adopted Ordinance 20-26-25, imposing a one-year pause on approving data centers; dozens of residents urged either permanent bans or careful study of water, power and health impacts during a lengthy public-comment period.
The Greenwood County Council approved Ordinance 20-26-25 on its third and final reading, imposing a one-year moratorium on approval of data centers and related infrastructure in the county. The motion to adopt the ordinance passed 4–3 after councilors raised procedural and substantive concerns and allowed a public-comment period that drew roughly two dozen residents.
Presiding over the meeting, Councilmember Robbie Templeton said the moratorium was intended to provide time for fact-finding and planning. "There are no data centers being considered, built, no deals, nothing being cleared, nothing in the works," Templeton told the room, echoing counsel’s earlier reassurances while adding that the pause would allow the county to answer community questions.
Residents who spoke at the public-comment period urged the council to either make the moratorium permanent or use the 12 months to develop strong local regulations. Calista Lindholm of Bradley warned of large electricity and water demands, saying "a single large AI data center can draw over 100 megawatts" and citing research on potential household-bill and resource impacts. Doug Farrell, a former high-tech engineer, said operational staffing would be small and local job gains limited: "We're not going to get a bunch of jobs," he said, and urged rules be written ahead of negotiations with companies.
Supporters of the moratorium framed it as a precaution to protect local water, air quality, and quality of life; opponents cautioned about missing economic opportunity. Jay Self, who advocated for careful industrial growth, said modern facilities use closed-loop cooling and can catalyze grid upgrades, noting national build-out estimates.
Templeton and other council members urged civility and promised the council will use the 12-month period to solicit technical expertise and community input. The ordinance text (20-26-25) lists findings and an effective date; council members indicated the body could extend the moratorium after studying impacts and public feedback.
The next procedural step the council signaled was formation of staff-led research, potential panel discussions and invitations to technical experts during the moratorium; no implementation actions or permit approvals were taken at the meeting aside from adopting the moratorium ordinance.
