MountainTrue is calling for local governments across Western North Carolina to pause data-center development when needed to gather public input and strengthen zoning protections. Its October 7th position on data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities also offers communities help drafting ordinances to address energy use, water demand and neighborhood impacts.
The organization singled out communities in Buncombe County among those it praised for taking protective steps through moratoriums and zoning changes. It also recognized communities in Clay, McDowell, Cherokee and Madison counties, along with Canton and Waynesville, placing the Buncombe connection within a broader regional land-use debate.
MountainTrue argues that residents should have a strong role in deciding whether and where these facilities are built. It supports temporary development moratoriums to give local governments time to hear from the public and revise zoning rules before making decisions about major industrial proposals…