The crowd at the McSwain Center in Sanford on Monday night did not come for a quiet civics lesson. Residents packed the room for a pointed debate over whether Lee County should hit the brakes on new data center projects while officials study what they might mean for water, drilling and nearby neighborhoods.
Many in attendance urged county commissioners to adopt a temporary moratorium after word spread that a company has been eyeing land near the Deep River. Neighbors raised alarms about possible drilling, water contamination and the strain a large industrial project could put on surrounding communities. The mood sharpened when the commission chair quizzed an environmental lawyer about her personal views on climate change, a turn that drew audible reactions from the audience.
According to WFAE, Brooks Rainey of the Southern Environmental Law Center told commissioners that a moratorium would give Lee County time to tighten up its ordinances and zoning rules for data centers. WFAE reports the room was filled with residents wearing anti-fracking buttons and calling for a pause so the county can set standards on siting, power sources and water use.
The outlet also noted that County Commission Chair Kirk Smith asked Rainey, “Do you believe humans are the cause of global warming?” Rainey later said she found the question inappropriate, a sentiment that echoed through the crowd.
Company Linked To Plan Has Eyed Nearby Gas Well
As reported by Inside Climate News, state records show an Alamance County firm called Deep River Data has contacted regulators about using gas from Butler Well No. 3 to power an AI-focused data center. The story says that outreach is part of a pre-feasibility effort, and company representatives told regulators they would pursue conventional drilling instead of hydraulic fracturing. Opponents counter that any extraction near the Deep River could threaten groundwater and drinking-water supplies.
The possibility of onsite fossil-fuel power has become a key part of the case for a timeout while the county writes new rules.
Neighbors Point To Deep River Fears And Public Health
Local reporting has highlighted the Deep River’s long history of pollution, along with recent detections of PFAS and other contaminants. Opponents argue that record makes drilling and industrial power generation unacceptable near the watershed.
Sandhills News and community groups have documented residents asking the county to revive earlier fracking moratoria and to add data centers to the list of uses that get extra scrutiny. Clean-water advocates and neighborhood organizers have since been working to turn out speakers at county hearings.
Why Data Centers Keep Touching A Nerve
Data centers chew through steady, large amounts of electricity and can place heavy demands on local water supplies for cooling, a mix that routinely inflames local debates.
Inside Climate News notes that regulators and utilities expect data center growth to add gigawatts of electricity demand statewide. That kind of surge can push projects toward private generation or major grid upgrades, outcomes that worry residents and local planners alike. Those tensions help explain why opponents in Lee County pressed commissioners to pause new approvals until local standards are clear.
Zoning, State Law And A Tight Timeline
Local governments are also running up against state limits. Reporting has shown that a change tied to the state’s post-Helene legislation has made so-called “down-zoning” more difficult, narrowing the tools counties can use to block or sharply restrict future land uses.
The News & Observer explains how that rule change affects local planning options and complicates any effort to rein in industrial projects after the fact.
Lee County commissioners did not immediately vote in a moratorium. Instead, they agreed to hear formal presentations from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Sanford Area Growth Alliance as the board weighs possible ordinance updates, according to The Sanford Herald.
“I don’t think my personal beliefs are relevant at all to this commission meeting,” Rainey told WFAE, summing up a frustration among advocates who say the fight should stay focused on zoning rules, permits and environmental risk.
Commissioners have asked staff to return with options for how to treat data centers in Lee County’s unified development ordinance. For now, the clash is shifting from the packed auditorium to the planning office and legal briefings, and residents say they will keep packing meetings until the county lays down clear rules.
