Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has proposed a one-year statewide moratorium on new data centers in South Carolina, citing rising energy demand and higher utility bills for residents. She wants new facilities to supply their own power so communities don't shoulder costs. The move reflects bipartisan concern over AI data-center growth, while state and local moratoriums have been debated in more than a dozen states. Efforts have met mixed results, including a veto in Maine and a recent county-level pause in Texas.
Nancy Mace Calls For One-Year Moratorium On Data Centers In South Carolina
Nancy Mace pushes for statewide data center moratorium
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Monday urged state leaders to impose a one-year moratorium on new data center construction in South Carolina, responding to growing community concerns about the energy demands and local costs associated with large AI server hubs.
Why Mace Is Calling for a Pause
Mace said data centers are "planting massive data centers across our state, driving up energy demand, and leaving families and small businesses to pick up the tab." She proposed that new facilities be required to supply their own electricity so residents and small businesses do not face higher utility bills. "The rules are simple: data centers pay their own way or they do not come here," she wrote on X.
State And National Context
South Carolina has become an attractive location for data center developers because of tax incentives and abundant rural land. One estimate counts at least 44 data centers in the state, including a multimillion-dollar Meta campus in Aiken County. Mace’s proposal comes as lawmakers across the country — from both parties — wrestle with how to balance economic development with local energy and infrastructure impacts.
"Data Centers Pay Their Own Way Or They Do Not Come Here." — Rep. Nancy Mace
At the federal level, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) advanced legislation in March that would pause nationwide AI infrastructure expansion until safety and consumer protections are established. Meanwhile, the White House secured a voluntary "ratepayer protection pledge" from major tech firms in March intended to address utility-cost concerns, even as it promotes policies to speed up AI-related infrastructure development.
Political And Local Responses
The debate has exposed divisions within the GOP and across the political spectrum. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) proposed bipartisan legislation in February aimed at preventing data centers from driving up electricity costs for consumers. State and local governments are also moving: lawmakers in South Carolina introduced a measure to pause new builds while rules are crafted, at least a dozen states have debated similar moratoriums, and a county southwest of Dallas, Texas, this week approved what may be the state’s first county-level moratorium on data centers.
One notable setback occurred in Maine, where legislators advanced a bill to pause construction of data centers larger than 20 megawatts; the bill was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills because it lacked an exemption for a project in Jay, a town facing economic hardship.
Mace’s stance may also carry electoral weight: she is currently running for governor of South Carolina, and local backlash over energy and development has become a politically salient issue in several districts.
Help us improve.
