By Katie Myers - Blue Ridge Public Radio
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council on May 7 passed an indefinite moratorium on data centers, following several other counties and municipalities throughout North Carolina that have made similar moves.
The alarm was spurred by other data centers in the state, as well as the XAI data center in Memphis, according to resident Mary “Missy” Crowe.
Crowe, a lifelong resident of the Qualla Boundary, further raised the alarm. She organizes for just energy transition in the Indigenous Environmental Network. Her work involves advocating for a transition to renewable energy that champions the interests of historically marginalized groups and accounts for workers’ rights and indigenous land sovereignty.
“Swain County just passed a moratorium,” said Crowe. “Haywood County has a moratorium. We’re seeing a lot of our communities around us that are standing up.” “If you go to our relatives that live in Marble, they’ll tell you they’re having a hard time right now,” she added.
On April 25, Crowe, along with the Eastern Cherokee Organization, hosted a dinner and information session in the Qualla Boundary to teach residents about environmental concerns around data centers.
The discussion had been pre-viously introduced in early April and was tabled as council members researched the possibility.
Shennelle Feather, who rep-resents the Yellow Hill community on the council, was worried about water quality, especially given the tribe’s fishing industry and related traditions.
Earlier this year, the tribe passed a rights of nature resolution recognizing the 790 miles of river connected with the tribe’s historic land as living beings, histori- cally referred to as Long Person or Long Man – an interconnected, sacred entity whose head is in the mountains and whose feet are in the ocean.
“I believe that if we’re not sup- porting this it goes against who we are as indigenous people and Cherokee people in our community, and protecting our assets and natural resources,” said Feather.
At the council meeting, some community members expressed concern about the moratorium affecting tribal sovereignty in data storage. However, the council said those types of storage facilities are not included in the ordinance.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Blue Ridge Public Radio (bpr.org) and Grist (grist.org) a nonprofit environmental media organization.