Mystery data center text sparks debate in Prince George's County
A mass text message campaign promoting data center development was sent to 100,000 Prince George's County residents, funded by Reverend Derek Green's Interfaith Action Movement. This occurred shortly after the county council approved a moratorium on new data center development. The planning board is now set to review legislation that could permit data centers in certain agricultural and residential zones, leading residents to feel their moratorium victory is short-lived.
Reverend Derek Green, founder of Interfaith Action Movement, is behind a recent mass text message campaign sent to approximately 100,000 Prince George's County residents. The messages promoted data center development as a means to build wealth, lower property taxes, and fund schools and public safety in the county. Green, who also served as a political consultant in Maryland and New Jersey, stated his organization aims to address spiritual, social, and economic needs in Black and brown communities, believing Prince George's County should lead discussions on data center development. He self-funded the initial texts and is now seeking to connect with data center developers and other supporters.
The text campaign emerged days after the Prince George's County Council approved a moratorium on new data center development. However, the conversation is far from over, as the planning board is scheduled to review legislation that could permit qualified data centers in specific agricultural and residential zones. Residents like Laila Riazi, who received the text and grew suspicious, are concerned about the environmental impact of rapid data center expansion and view the promotional texts as manipulative. They now feel their "moratorium victory" is short-lived, expressing a sentiment of "two steps forward, one step back" in their efforts to regulate development.