Based on council committee actions held on July 22, the Montgomery County Council appears likely to vote to extend its current moratorium on new data center permits. (This PRA News article is based on excerpts from a news report in The Baltimore Banner.)
Eight County Council members have indicated their support for an 18-month pause, and the council’s economic development committee voted Wednesday (July 22) to advance the proposal for a vote of the full 11-member council next Tuesday. (July 28)
Also Wednesday, the council’s committee on planning, housing and parks advanced a proposal to define data centers in the county’s zoning code for the first time. If the council passes the legislation, companies won’t be permitted to build data centers until planners and council members determine where in the county to allow them.
Council members said that Montgomery County’s moratorium will allow the committees time to determine appropriate guardrails for large data centers. Local lawmakers are also awaiting guidance from the state legislature, including results from a study on how data centers affect nearby communities.
Environmental advocates applauded the council committees’ decisions and called for a seat at the table as discussions continue. “We look forward to having the county gather input from residents and experts to inform the standards these facilities will have to meet,” said Kevin Walton, who is part of a coalition of 20 environmental organizations working in Montgomery County.
The pending policy changes appear likely to delay plans for five data centers on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power plant along the Potomac River in Dickerson.
The extended moratorium would follow pauses in other counties across the state, including in Prince George’s, where county lawmakers voted in early July to adopt a two-year ban.
Last week, New York became the first state to adopt a statewide data center moratorium. Gov. Kathy Hochul enacted a one-year pause to allow time for lawmakers to develop regulations. The governor also plans to advocate for the repeal of New York’s sales tax exemptions for large data centers.
Lawmakers across the country have cited concerns over water, environmental and noise pollution from data centers.
Parkwood Residents Association 