Lee County moves toward moratorium on the only fracking-powered data center proposal in the U.S.

Nearly 200 Pack the Room — and Push Back on Chair Kirk Smith’s Attempts to Undermine Science

The room at the Ruby McSwain Center in Sanford reached capacity Monday night for the Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting, in a massive show of support for a moratorium, or temporary ban, on hydraulic fracturing and data centers until impact research can be done.

“This county is full of fracktivists and raging grannies,” said Brooks Rainey Pearson, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). She spoke at a press conference organized by the environmental nonprofit Clean Water for North Carolina, where residents had the opportunity to ask the advocates and Pearson questions about the projects and their impacts on Lee’s natural environment and public health. 

Several residents spoke to the negative public health impacts, the degradation of natural resources, and the drinking water quality that could affect millions. Together, they pushed for a moratorium on fracking, drilling, and data centers, a temporary halt on Deep River Data’s Butler Well project until risks to the Deep River, which serves 100,000 residents immediately and up to 900,000 downstream, can be fully assessed.

The proposal by Deep River Data, a crypto-mining company established less than a year ago, is a never-before-seen combination in the United States: a data center powered by a fracking operation. 

“I don’t want my 12-year-old to get cancer,” said Bobbie West, a Navy veteran and Sanford resident since 2017. West lives on Cotten Road, next to the Deep River, and is among more than 1,100 neighbors who signed the petition to stop the fracking and data center project.

The process is geologically destructive, as it drills into the land and pumps water and unknown chemicals into the earth. This one will be at the closed Butler Well #3, where they will try to release trapped gas. The site is located off Cotten Road in Cumnock. This is the same location where the Coal Glen coal mine collapsed in 1925, killing 53. 

“I want to emphasize the fragile environment of Cumnock. Where they are proposing these projects is over the most unstable ground in Lee County,” said Thomas Lee, a Sanford resident who also spoke during the press conference. “It’s a honeycomb of coal mines under the entire area, and we don’t know where they are; there’s no map.” 

The Deep River coal field near Cumnock sits atop a patchwork of old, unmapped coal mines, some of which are flooded and unstable, making it a poor candidate for fracking. 

Any trapped gas would lie shallow in the ground at about 2,700 feet, perilously close to groundwater just 1,000 feet down. Any fractures could migrate upward, contaminating drinking water for hundreds of thousands and the Deep River itself.

Drilling around these old mines heightens the risk of blowouts and collapses, while local faults increase the likelihood of induced earthquakes. North Carolina’s fracking ban stems from these exact concerns in the Sanford sub-basin, alongside documented health impacts like cancers and respiratory issues near wells.

Moments after the session began, Chairman Kirk Smith opened the commissioners’ meeting with a “special recognition” segment. He singled out Sandhills News, accusing the outlet of selective editing and spreading “fake news,” eliciting boos from the crowded room. 

Smith, in a March 13, 2026, email to constituents obtained by Sandhills News, dismissed concerns about climate change as “hysteria,” described carbon dioxide as “a beneficial plant nutrient,” and claimed that “dihydrogen monoxide” — water — is the “number one global warming gas.” 

After Pearson, the SELC lawyer, presented the argument against the projects, addressing the legal process and procedures surrounding a moratorium on data center development, as well as the public health impacts of both the facility and the fracking, Smith revealed his inclination towards climate disinformation. 

Reading from a paper, Smith asked Pearson, “Do you believe humans are the cause of global warming?” The crowd groaned, some speaking their disbelief loud enough to be heard. 

“I don’t think my personal beliefs are relevant at all to this commission meeting,” Pearson stated, with attendees applauding in approval. 

Smith’s follow-up questions included confusing timelines, such as what ended the ice age 2,000 years ago (the last ice age ended closer to 12,000 years ago), a muttering about millennia-old Romans and why the SELC didn’t stop the data centers in northern Virginia, also known as data center alley. 

Some attendees spoke directly with Smith, including a young woman who demanded that he apologize to Pearson. 

“Some of us actually read the news,” responded Smith, causing another uproar from the crowded room, some of whom shouted back in anger and disapproval. 

Rather than becoming flustered, Pearson responded with a genuine explanation of her role, expertise, and scientific position. “I’m not a historian, I’m an environmental attorney,” she said firmly. “I believe that if the vast majority of scientists say this is happening, then I believe in them, in science.”  

Jimmy Randolph, the president of the local economic board, Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA), spoke after Pearson. He argued that while the organization wasn’t opposed to data centers, it would only support a modern and sustainable operation. 

Randolph shared that he didn’t know much about the project until March 12, when he finally heard from Deep River Data and learned more about their intentions. 

Even with the few days to review and prepare, SAGA concluded that Deep River Data is not a good project for Lee County, citing four main issues: power capacity and rates, air-quality damage from emissions, operational impacts such as noise pollution, and water quality and quantity. SAGA maintained its opposition to fracking, supporting a moratorium on the drilling proposal. 

During the public comments, not one resident spoke in favor of fracking; a handful expressed trepidation towards data centers. 

Lindsey Knapp, an attorney, Army veteran, local business owner and community activist, described how data centers make a flawed assumption. She shared how data centers are making a bad assumption about rural areas, that people would be fine with it. “But they didn’t expect people to care this much,” she said, asking the room to raise a hand if they wanted either project in the county. Not a single hand came up. 

Keely Puricz, a Deep River advocate who in 2015 successfully sued to block North Carolina fracking permits, called for “elected commissioners, city council members and SAGA to prohibit the use of NDAs when it comes to data center development,” which was met with applause. Nondisclosure agreements are a common tool used by tech companies to avoid public scrutiny. “When these companies are asking for areas to be rezoned or asking for land, the public deserves to know.” 

In the end, more than a dozen public commenters spoke, reiterating the public’s consistent position to protect the natural environment and the public health of Lee County residents, current and future. 

Commissioner Robert T. Reives motioned for a moratorium on fracking and data centers. County staff, after clarifying the rules and procedures, confirmed they will present information on a potential moratorium at the next April 6 work session at the McSwain Center, after which commissioners can formally consider the motion, allowing time for a public hearing and a final vote.

March 17, 2026

Diara J. Townes

Townes submitted all images and videos.

Diara J. Townes is an award-winning independent journalist covering environment, government and business, with a focus on marginalized communities and local stories.

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