Lynne M Taylor
Mooresville NC resident for over 20 years
Author’s Note: As in the original article[1], my goal is to help inform you, the Iredell County/Mooresville City taxpayers, better understand what’s at stake in this battle of homeowners vs big technology. LMT
NC’s Foray into Technology:
In the original article, you saw a generalized timeline for how the Tract company came to Mooresville, as well as the supportive side of the proposed Data Center. You also got to examine the opposition’s side to the Data Center. However, just how DID the city and county leaders come to bring big technology to our part of NC, or for that matter, how did ANY part of NC become a target? Plain and simple: profit. Profit for the big technology companies, profits for the counties of NC. Profits before people. Profits before our environment. Profits that pose the potential to ruin your freedoms of where to live, work and enjoy fresh air, quiet spaces and farms that grow crops.
Back in 2023, the entire state of NC, at the direction of the NC Department of Commerce, was offered up as a giant ‘canvas’ to satisfy a federal technology investment project. The ‘project’ was part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022[2]. The CHIPS Act took federal level taxpayer money to direct federal science programs and related activities to be spread throughout America. It was never inserted in the U.S. Constitution for any federal activity or program to direct science (which in education, includes technology). Even in the State Constitution of NC, data centers were not written into the General Statutes UNTIL 2023! That means the NC State General Statutes (Chapter 14B) which covered all topics of technology was amended to update the State to support the federal government. Which matches the NC Dept. of Commerce announcement’s date[3]. It’s important to note that the NC State Statutes for technology originated by executive organization in 1973[4]. *If you look at the very definition of the 1973 in the link provided, you’ll see that any trace of the original definition was repealed and replaced in 2022.
According to the NC DIT (NC Dept of Information Technology[5]),there are quite a few NC State Statutes that address funding and profit/cost-sharing well before any mention of privacy or land use to create hubs for technology (a phrase used in the CHIPS Act to allow for data centers to be implemented.) NC DIT also works very hard with technology companies and businesses to procure IT (Internet Technology) services in the name of serving the people of NC. But what arm of the NC State Government addresses the land use for creating data hubs (aka: data centers)?
Look to the NC Geographic Information Coordinating Council or NC GICC. Back in 2017, the meeting minutes dated August 9, 2017 revealed that part of the Council’s supportive endeavors to aid the GIS (Geological Information System) for NC. Part of that support included collaboration with land surveyors across the NC.
In 2025, we can see that the NC DIT has an entire committee with a GIS Committee Leadership team. The leaders are pulled straight out of several NC state level agencies. For example:
Environmental Quality, Insurance, Education, and Transportation. You’ll want to see the entire list of offices/agencies represented[6]. Which of these agencies determines whose land is chosen to create data centers/hubs? Is it a collective decision from each agency? Are local citizens encouraged to become involved in how these decisions are made? Just how are local and state taxpayers dollars used in this process? Taxation without representation, even at a local level is unconstitutional!
Beyond Mooresville, NC and the Entire State:
Did you know that, at a federal level of America’s government. is the EDA or U.S. Economic Development Administration[7]? This arm of the government was also part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. It’s entire structure is regionalized technology hubs/data centers. Over $10 billion dollars spread over the first 5 years of this program. This means that the first 5 years expires in 2027. You’ll definitely want to see how MUCH land will be consumed to create such a technological system. You can research the site to see the grants awarded to public entities (like city governments) and private entities (like tech giants) to create this very concerning situation we find ourselves in, here in Mooresville. The rest of NC, just like in every other State faces the same challenges.
Back to Iredell County:
According to the Iredell County Economic Development website[8], one of the reasons we can assume attracted Tract to Mooresville, was the low corporate income tax. A rate of 2.25 percent. Meanwhile the average resident’s income tax rate is 4.25 percent. It doesn’t take much digging to find that big data companies like Tract profit enough to pay for ALL their electricity and water. Yet, as was pointed out in the original article, the homeowners in the areas data centers/hubs have already been built, fall squarely on the private citizens, NOT the technology companies! So, are we to understand that these data centers/hubs are a win-win for everyone EXCEPT the homeowners or the farmers?! To understand this a bit better, look at the NC website for Data Centers Sales/Use Taxes[9] which include all the exemptions they can achieve.
To be fair, there are also restrictions, but compare each to those of the local taxpayers.
The overall goal is to grow economic gains for the ‘good of the community’. However, at what cost to the farmers of NC, specifically where the Mooresville Data Center is to be built? At what price will individuals pay in health care due to poor air quality or hearing damage caused? What price will the environment ‘pay’ when the flora and fauna (flowers and animals) of each area are destroyed or compromised?
Continue to Press Leaders:
Iredell Citizens, we cannot afford to relax the need to continue to press our local leadership to understand that the proposed Data Center puts profit before people.
How can this possibly improve our quality of life? How can the obstruction of pursuing life, liberty and happiness, be justified when these rights are threatened by outside companies seeking to set up their destruction in our backyards?
About the Author:Lynne’s spoken out about education’s demise since 2000. Her published articles have been featured by American Policy Center and others. Lynne is a respected expert who has worn awards for her advocacy for families and their children in education. Finally, Lynne has been featured on hundreds of radio broadcasts, podcasts and conferences. Contact: [email protected]
[1] https://iredellstandingfortruth.com/2025/06/30/mooresville-data-center-what-were-not-being-told/
[2] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346/text
[3]https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2023/06/06/north-carolina-department-commerce-launches-techhubsfornc-and-chipsfornc-initiatives-web-pages
[4] https://law.justia.com/codes/north-carolina/chapter-143b/article-15/
[5] https://it.nc.gov/services/billing-rates/statutory-requirements
[6] https://it.nc.gov/about/boards-commissions/gicc/committees/state-gis-users
[7] https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/regional-technology-and-innovation-hubs
[8] https://iredelledc.com/
[9] https://edpnc.com/incentives/data-centers-sales-use-tax-exemptions/
