Data center boom raises environmental justice concerns in Maryland
A proposed $5 billion data center by Lerner Enterprises in Landover, Prince George's County, MD, faces strong opposition from environmental justice advocates. Concerns include potential worsening of health and environmental problems in the predominantly Black and brown community. The county executive has enacted a temporary moratorium on data center permits, delaying the project.
A proposed $5 billion, 4-million-square-foot data center complex by Lerner Enterprises at the former Landover Mall site in Prince George's County, Maryland, is facing significant backlash from environmental justice groups. Staci Hartwell, strategist for the South County Environmental Justice Coalition and a county resident, argues that the massive development is inappropriate for a community already burdened by cumulative environmental impacts, which is predominantly Black and brown.
Concerns about data centers in Prince George's County extend beyond typical issues of water and electricity strain to include worries about exacerbating existing health and environmental disparities. Sacoby Wilson, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH), coined the term "digital sacrifice zones" for communities that host negative externalities of data centers without reaping the benefits. A "counter report" published by the NAACP's national office and CEEJH in March denounced a county task force report for failing to adequately address environmental justice.
Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy placed a temporary halt on processing data center permits last September, putting the Landover project on hold. While a 20-member county task force concluded that economic and community benefits would outweigh potential downsides like higher electricity bills, County Councilwoman Wala Blegay, also a task force member, opposes the Landover project. She highlighted the need for more scientific study on health consequences and stated the project is "too close to people’s homes" and its impacts are unknown. Abre’ Conner, director of the NAACP’s Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, criticized local leaders for not listening to vulnerable communities.
The article also cites a University of California Riverside analysis projecting 600,000 asthma cases and 1,300 deaths nationwide by 2028 under a high-growth data center scenario, disproportionately affecting lower-income communities. Prince George’s County is already estimated to incur millions in annual health burdens from data center pollution originating in nearby Northern Virginia, known as "Data Center Alley."