I am an avid outdoorsman, blessed to live in Beaufort — just a stone’s throw from the ACE Basin’s historic rivers and rice fields teeming with waterfowl and wading birds. However, I am concerned about recent actions by Colleton County Council that place priceless resources in jeopardy.
On Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m., Colleton County will hold a Public Hearing regarding its “digital infrastructure overlay.” This move comes weeks after a moratorium was passed that ostensibly paused data center negotiations for six months.
The overlay would greenlight data center development in most of Colleton County, including rural areas and the ACE Basin — widely celebrated as one of our nation’s greatest conservation successes. Data center development in this sensitive environment potentially puts a huge burden on the grid and ratepayers. These facilities consume copious water and contribute to air pollution, affecting public health. The constant humming noise disturbs neighbors and wildlife.
Colleton County’s proposed overlay zoning may permit “pop up” gas power plants that aren’t strictly regulated and create harmful emissions. Many data centers have polluting backup diesel generators. Siting a data center means swaths of forests may be clear cut, graded, and paved. Acres of wetlands are filled, accelerating stormwater runoff and compromising water quality.
While data centers offer tax benefits and job creation, these facilities belong in industrial areas, not in the ACE Basin and rural-zoned properties. I hope you can attend on Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m., and bring your friends and family. What happens upstream affects the region, whether you reside in Beaufort or Colleton County, so show up and speak up!
— Grant McClure, South Coast Office Director with the Coastal Conservation League
Lucas driving her political train in ‘reverse’
It gives me a strange sense of satisfaction that when Carol Lucas wrote her “Run Darline Run” article, she didn’t know how much it may have motivated our friends and neighbors to vote and support Darline Graham. In all honesty, I’m surprised she pulled off the win, but in these days and times, you just never know what people are thinking and feeling.
With that being said, please Carol, write another article, this one about Dr. Annie. You appear to be driving your political train – in reverse.
— Jeff Hughes, Lady’s Island