In the ongoing conflict between environmentalists and data center developers in the South Carolina Lowcountry, a key battle has been decided — but the war is far from over.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced Monday, Oct. 5, that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Colleton County government to resolve a lawsuit against the lower S.C. county related to a pending data center development.
The lawsuit, filed in January on behalf of two local landowners, Jennifer Singleton and Miles Crosby, challenged changes to the county zoning code that allowed data centers in rural areas of Colleton County, including within the environmentally sensitive ACE Basin watershed area.
With this settlement, Colleton County has agreed to establish
a “Data Center Exclusion Area” that prohibits data centers across the majority of the ACE Basin in Colleton County, including some of the most ecologically sensitive areas along the three major rivers that form the basin: the Ashepoo, the Combahee, and the Edisto, stated the SELC release.
Significantly, the “Data Center Exclusion Area" includes the 850-acre parcel on the headwaters of the Ashepoo River where the original Eagle Rock data center complex was proposed in December 2025. However, it does not include all of Colleton County.
“Thanks to the hard work and collaboration between Colleton County, Jennifer Singleton, Miles Crosby, and SELC staff, this agreement marks a significant victory for the ACE Basin and all South Carolinians who enjoy and appreciate the iconic forests, rivers, wetlands, and rural communities in this region," said Chris DeScherer, SELC South Carolina Office Director.
"We also appreciate all the passion and advocacy from community members and environmental partners that made this possible," DeScherer added. "It’s a good reminder of how significant this area is to people, and how hard they will fight to protect it. We look forward to continuing to work with Colleton County leaders, residents and stakeholders to steward and celebrate the ACE Basin, maintain the ‘Data Center Exclusion Area,’ and help ensure that any data center projects in Colleton County and beyond are developed responsibly with respect to surrounding communities and natural resources.”
The ACE Basin is a 1.6-million-acre watershed declared by environmentalists as “One of the Last Great Places on Earth," stated the SELC release., adding "Since the establishment of the ACE Basin Task Force in 1989, over 300,000 acres have been permanently protected in the basin, including over 70,000 acres of public land. The landscape is steeped in rich history and diverse Lowcountry culture. It also serves as prime habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds, and endangered species."
Shortly after Colleton County in late 2025 approved an ordinance that would allow data centers to be built in rural areas of the county with a “special exception” Eagle Rock Partners filed an application under the new ordinance to construct a 859-acre, 1,000-megawatt data center complex, which would be, if completed, one of the largest such data centers in the Southeast.
In response, in January 2026 the SELC filed a complaint in state court in Colleton County, on behalf of Colleton County residents Crosby and Singleton, to challenge the recently passed zoning ordinance. The lawsuit argued that the new ordinance violated state law, the county’s comprehensive plan, and the county’s zoning code.
“I have lived in the ACE Basin my entire life, right here in Colleton County," Crosby said in the SELC release. "My family has been here for generations. The original data center complex that was proposed would have surrounded my property on three sides and completely changed the area. I’m thankful we could reach an outcome that not only prevents data centers from surrounding my home but also protects the majority of the ACE Basin in Colleton County from data center development.”
“It’s been a long and winding road to get here, but I’m thrilled we were able to reach a compromise that establishes a 'Data Center Exclusion Area' in Colleton County," Singleton added. "The ACE Basin is a treasure we must all work together to care for. It’s one of the things that makes Colleton County special, something we should all be proud of. I’m thankful to be a part of it.”
In July, Colleton County approved third and final reading on a six-month data center moratorium to give officials time to study the issue, but in September announced it was considering a "digital infrastructure overlay" in its zoning code, a move which environmental groups considered a ploy to get around this moratorium, prompting citizen concerns and even a petition in opposition.
Data centers only part of Lowcountry environmental concerns
While the Eagle Rock project may be halted or stalled, other data centers have been announced near the Lowcountry, including one in the Rincon, Georgia area and one being considered in the Savannah River Site area.
While this Colleton County settlement may seem like a peripheral issue for residents of Hampton, Jasper and Beaufort counties, when coupled with a proposed major power plant and a pending natural gas pipeline project in the same general area, this trio of projects would have a major impact on the infrastructure and natural resources of the ACE Basin and the S.C. Lowcountry as a whole.
Strategically positioned around the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers in Beaufort, Colleton, and Charleston counties, between the coastal cities of Charleston and Beaufort, the 1.6-million-acre ACE Basin watershed is one of the largest areas of undeveloped wetlands/uplands ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast.
Taylor Allred, the energy and climate program director for the Coastal Conservation League, stated in a recent article published by the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce that any data center here would be “a big blow to the ACE Basin.”
The power plant, pipeline, data centers, transmission lines and traffic that would be required will “anchor a massive industrialization of the ACE Basin,” widely regarded as one of South Carolina’s great conservation success stories, Alfred added.
Across the Southeast, utilities are using projected data center power demand to justify building new fossil fuel power plants that emit harmful air pollutants, contends the SELC, adding that South Carolina's Santee Cooper has stated that approximately 70% of its anticipated load growth is coming from data centers.
Santee Cooper and Dominion SC are also proposing to build a massive new gas plant on the banks of the Edisto River in Canadys, which is also located in rural Colleton County.
These utilities also want to build a new major70-plus mile underground natural gas pipeline known as the “Elba Bridge Pipeline” from Georgia to Canadys, routed through Hampton and Colleton counties. The pipeline would serve the Canadys plant, but it would also provide more gas capacity for additional power plants and industrial uses.
If the Canadys power plant and Elba Bridge Pipeline are allowed to move forward, it would likely lead to more proposals for new data centers, new power plants, and other new industrial uses in the ACE Basin and along the entire pipeline route, worries the SELC.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Settlement bans data centers in most of Colleton County’s ACE Basin area
