A massive data center and gas power plant project, previously blocked in a white Georgia community, is now being pushed into a historically Black, rural part of Colleton County, South Carolina. Residents were given little notice, but they are organizing quickly to say one thing clearly: this is environmental racism.

The developers behind this project, Thomas & Hutton and Eagle Rock Partners, working on behalf of Weyerhaeuser, are seeking a special zoning exception to override Colleton County’s comprehensive land use plan. This plan designates the area as “countryside” and specifically calls for rural preservation.

If approved, this rezoning would allow the construction of nine data centers, two substations, and a five billion dollar gas plant and pipeline, all within walking distance of Black churches, family homes, and historic cemeteries.

We are calling on the Colleton County Board of Appeals to reject this zoning exception and protect the health, heritage, and self-determination of this community.

We urge county officials to:

• Honor the comprehensive plan that protects rural land from industrial development
• Reject any proposal that displaces or endangers historically Black neighborhoods
• Demand full transparency and community consultation before advancing this or any similar project
• Defend the ACE Basin, a vital ecosystem already under threat from development and pollution
• Stop a project that will bring pollution, noise, and water stress with no proven local benefit

This fight is about more than land. It is about who gets sacrificed for corporate expansion and whose lives are treated as expendable.

The people of Colleton County deserve better. They deserve clean air, safe water, and respect for their homes and history.

Sign this petition to demand the Colleton County Board of Appeals reject this zoning exception and protect this Black community from environmental injustice.