ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s representative in the N.C. General Assembly has issued a statement to present “clear facts” regarding his record related to the ongoing conversation about data centers.
Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond, starts off his statement by saying he had no involvement in the county’s “recruitment or negotiation” of Project Blue Marlin — which was revealed to be Amazon’s multi-building data center complex at the Energy Way Industrial Park south of Hamlet days after the Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved an incentive package.
“County officials did not bring me into that process, and I learned the details — including Amazon’s involvement — only shortly before the public announcement,” Moss said.
He also says he did not sign a non-disclosure agreement related to that project and that he has never signed an NDA “in my capacity as an elected official.”
Prior to being elected to the N.C. House of Representatives in 2020, Moss served on the Richmond County Board of Commissioners for a decade.
Moss goes on to mention his actions in the House, including voting for Senate Bill 730, referred to as the Ratepayer Protection Act.
The original draft of the bill, introduced in March 2025, dealt with nuclear and hydroelectric power. However, the version approved by the House in June 2026 includes “new requirements for large data centers involving water conservation, community-impact assessments, and protections to prevent families and small businesses from subsidizing their electricity costs,” Moss said.
One of the provisions of the bill requires applicants to “(p)erform and submit a site assessment to examine the sound profile of the data center on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the data center property boundary.”
The bill also permits local governments to “require that a site assessment examine the effect of the proposed facility on the community with regard to ground and surface water resources .. .air quality … thermal plumes … agricultural resources … parks … registered historic sites, and … forestland on the data center site or immediately contiguous land."
Applicants must also submit “an attestation that the data center will employ a closed-loop water or a liquid cooling system that will result in minimization of water consumption for cooling systems to the maximum extent possible,” in compliance with state statute.
The bill also prohibits data centers and the land they’re on from being owned by “adversarial” foreign governments — specifically China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Legislative records do not show the vote for the third reading in the House. However, it passed 69-44 on its second reading, with two Democrats — Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford and Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe — joining 67 Republicans, including Moss. No Republicans opposed the bill.
Records show the bill has been in the Senate Rules Committee since June 8.
Moss also mentioned a provision in the 2026 state budget, which he voted for, that eliminates the sales tax exemption for electricity used by data centers.
In his statement, Moss goes on to address property he formerly owned that is now being proposed as a data center site.
Moss said he and his wife, Amber, bought the property on Old Cheraw Highway on Oct. 1, 2021, adding that they lived on the land for “nearly five years” before selling it on June 26 of this year.
Those 95 acres were annexed and rezoned for high density residential in October of 2025. A neighboring property had been annexed and rezoned several months before for a proposed housing development.
The Rockingham City Council is slated at its meeting on Tuesday to schedule an upcoming public hearing on the proposed data center.
Land on County Home Road, north of Hamlet, was also recently purchased by a data center company. Commissioners said last week that the board had nothing to do with the private land sale, adding that it has long been zoned for heavy industrial.
“I support responsible economic development that creates good-paying job opportunities for the people in our communities,” Moss concluded. “I also believe those projects must be transparent, protect our natural resources, and pay their fair share without shifting costs onto working families. That is the standard reflected in my record, and it will continue guiding me as your State Representative.”
There has been recent backlash to data centers in Richmond County, with residents expressing concern about water and power usage, as well as pollution. One resident has even started an online petition calling for a 12-month moratorium on data center development.
