Calvert County approves 6-month data center moratorium after Amazon pullout
Calvert County commissioners unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new data center developments following strong public demand and a public hearing. This decision comes after Amazon abandoned its plans for a data center in the county. Activists are pushing for further actions, including an outright ban and reversal of previous zoning changes.
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to enact a six-month moratorium on new data center projects after a public hearing on Tuesday. The decision was met with cheers from residents and activists, who have been vocal in their opposition to data center development in the county.
According to Maryland bureau chief Brad Bell, the public demand for a pause was significant, with speakers testifying for over two hours. Danielle Pack of "Citizens for Calvert" highlighted concerns about massive disruptions to their way of life, environment, water, and air, particularly after learning of plans for several data centers on the grounds of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant.
Activists had a previous victory in the June primary, where three incumbent Republican commissioners lost their races. This was followed by Amazon's announcement earlier this month that it was abandoning its data center plans in Calvert County. The commissioners also indicated a willingness to consider extending the moratorium, moving to an outright ban, and potentially reversing a previous zoning change that had permitted data center development.