Letters to the editor

Data centers deserve a full and transparent review 

Data centers may bring economic benefits to South Carolina, including investment, construction activity, workforce training, and tax revenue. Those potential benefits should be taken seriously. 

At the same time, communities should not be asked to evaluate data centers based only on the upside. These projects can also raise important questions about electricity demand, water use, utility infrastructure, land use, public incentives, and long-term costs to residents and ratepayers. 

In my opinion, the issue is not whether South Carolina should reject technology growth. The issue is whether that growth is being evaluated transparently and responsibly. 

Before communities fully support major data center expansion, residents deserve clear answers to basic questions: How much power will be required? How much water will be used? Who pays for infrastructure upgrades? What tax incentives are being offered? How many permanent local jobs will remain after construction? And what protections are in place for residents if costs increase? 

These are not anti-growth questions. They are reasonable public-interest questions. 

I also believe opinion pieces supporting data center development should clearly disclose any relevant organizational, financial, or partnership relationships with companies or industries that may benefit from that development. Transparency does not weaken an argument; it strengthens public trust. 

South Carolina can support innovation while still requiring accountability. Data centers may have a place in our state’s future, but that decision should be based on complete information, full disclosure, and a balanced understanding of both benefits and tradeoffs. 

- Amy Cook, Charleston

Just because Google says it, it doesn't mean it's true 

Data centers use a massive amount of electricity and water. A single large scale AI facility can demand as much power as 100,000 households and consume up to 5 million gallons of water daily for cooling. This information is from EESI, which is a well respected 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1984 by a bipartisan group of members of Congress.  

Data center water usage closely parallels energy usage and carbon emissions. As data centers use more energy for their typical data center operations and to meet AI requests, they consume larger amounts of water to cool their processor chips, so as to avoid overheating and potential damage. Similarly, as energy use increases in data cooling, so do carbon emissions. A medium-sized data center can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year which translates to the annual water usage of approximately 100,000 households.  

So, South Carolina, be careful what you wish for. Don't blindly believe what big businesses and the government tell you. They want to line their own pockets and are not necessarily concerned about us. 

- John Wallach, Daniel Island