For a morning last week, Walterboro became the center of an ever-increasingly political discussion about the value of allowing Data Centers to be built and operated in the rural areas of South Carolina.
Democratic candidate for the United States Senate Dr. Annie Andrews combined with local Democratic officials and citizens to protest what has been proposed as Data Centers development in Colleton County.
Andrews said her opponent, Darline Graham, who was appointed to the Senate after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, and now is the Republican nominee for a full 6-year term, is “all in” on the construction of the data- and surveillance-collection centers throughout the Palmetto State.
Graham’s support follows the guidance of the Trump administration, which last week hosted a signing ceremony with some the biggest names in High Tech of an agreement to “self-police” the continuing-to-grow Artificial Intelligence business in the United States. Data Centers collect and store the information that AI needs to operate in business, government, and the society at large.
Colleton County could be a particular target because of Opportunity Zones.
WIRED magazine and digital outlet reported that, effective Jan. 1, Data Centers in rural areas are in line for “a new tax windfall” because of the One Big, Beautiful Bill passed by Congress in 2024. Specifically, the tax breaks kick in when a hyper-scale Data Center is built in a federally designated Opportunity Zone. Colleton County has two of these zones nominated by the governor for consideration by the U.S. Treasury. Designation is expected by Jan. 1, 2027.
Colleton County Council has approved a special zoning designation – a Digital Infrastructure Overlay – for areas north of I-95 and has maintained a moratorium on areas south of I-95. Eagle Rock has proposed a Data Center for a tract known (for now) as the Rhodes Tract) north of I-95 (See The Press & Standard, Oct. 1).
In a Sept. 28 appearance in Walterboro, Andrews said additional study is needed for combat public concerns about Data Center operations, but alleged that Graham is “full speed ahead” on these massive data-collection complexes.
“I’ll never take my direction from politicians in Washington, corporations, Big Tech, or any other insider,” Andrews said. “I take my direction from South Carolinians. I answer to you. And I’ll always fight to put your families first — and make sure you, and you alone, have the power to decide what happens in your community.”
An Andrews campaign statement says, “While Graham has championed data centers and benefited from more than $1 million in pro-AI spending backing her candidacy, she has offered no plan to protect South Carolina families from higher costs.”
The Andrews campaign takes the issue directly to Graham, and her supporters, with a new website: DataCentersDarline.com. It says Graham supports $70 Million on tax breaks for Data Centers.
Andrews said, “I want new investment and good-paying jobs right here in South Carolina — but not at the expense of our farmers, our communities, our property rights, or our quality of life. Your bills are high enough already. South Carolina families shouldn’t have to pay even more so billionaires and Big Tech can make even more money.”
National polls and election study groups have announced that Andrews and Graham are running 50-50 in the Nov. 3 race to fill the U.S. Senate seat for at least the next 6 years. Lindsey Graham was a United States Senator for 24 years.
Andrews alleges that pro-AI industries have donated more than $1 Million to Darline Graham’s campaign, and that Graham has said of Data Centers, “we have to have data centers,” and “we need to build data centers here.”
The fight in Colleton is just one of many playing out across South Carolina as communities confront a growing wave of data center development and concerns about their land, water, power bills, and local control.
In addition to Walterboro, the Andrews campaign says the candidate is bringing her focus to Data Centers throughout the state and what could be potential rising costs across South Carolina. It says, “Last week, she visited a $2.8 billion data center under construction in Spartanburg. Before that, Andrews brought her Gas, Grits & Groceries Affordability Tour to Aiken, where she called for a two-year moratorium, an end to data center tax breaks, and legislation to keep data center costs off families’ power bills. Andrews’ plan would also stop data centers from passing their costs onto South Carolina families, end special tax breaks for data centers, and cut red tape standing in the way of new energy infrastructure that can help bring costs down.”
The U.S. Senate recently turned down a federal bill that would allow AI industries to build their own power sources, rather than pay direct costs to enhance the local grid. Opponents were against the measure because it was voluntary, not mandatory with enforcement; and with the Trump Administration weakening clean air standards, could mean that Data Center could be fueled by toxi-substances-spewing diesel-fuel generators.
Graham said she finds that argument ridiculous. A news release from her Senate office says:
“U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-South Carolina) today said Senate Democrats should be blamed for any citizen who faces rising energy costs because of data center construction.
“A majority of Senate Democrats voted to prevent the legislation from moving forward, even though it passed the U.S. House of Representatives in an overwhelming bipartisan 417-3 vote.
“Graham voted to advance legislation she cosponsored, the Ratepayer Protection Act (S. 5028), which ensures hard working Americans are not left paying for the energy needs of data centers.
“Senator Darline Graham said, ‘I am very disappointed in Senate Democrats for blocking this important legislation. We had a chance to protect hardworking families and small businesses from rising energy costs caused by data centers. But Senate Democrats, instead of passing this overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation, said ‘No.’
“In order to protect our national security, it’s imperative we are able to compete with China, but that cost should not be passed on to consumers. It’s also imperative that local communities are actively involved in any decision whether to bring data centers to their community because they know what’s best.
“Data centers should have to pay for any new energy infrastructure they need and that’s the standard set forth by the Ratepayer Protection Act.
“I find it ridiculous that Democrats won’t work with Republicans to pass this extremely reasonable proposal.”
