How 2 political outsiders led the push for Maryland’s first data center ban
Harford County, Maryland, became the state's first county to enact a permanent ban on data centers, following a grassroots movement led by local residents Bryan Cornell and Krissy Flatau. The ban, proposed by County Executive Bob Cassilly and passed unanimously, broadly prohibits data centers in all zoning districts. The move came despite a preliminary proposal for a 672-megawatt data center campus on a golf course abutting residents' homes.
Bryan Cornell and Krissy Flatau, two Harford County residents, spearheaded a successful grassroots movement that led to Maryland's first permanent ban on data centers in Harford County. Their activism began after learning of plans to convert the 275-acre Mountain Branch Golf Course near their homes in Joppa into a hyperscale data center campus.
Organizing under "Our Land. Our Home. Our Harford.," Cornell and Flatau mobilized thousands of residents through community meetings and social media, expressing concerns about potential environmental impacts, noise, and the industrialization of agricultural land. The opposition gained significant traction, leading to the Harford County Council's unanimous decision in June to pass a ban on data centers in all zoning districts, championed by County Executive Bob Cassilly, who argued that a temporary moratorium wouldn't suffice due to the state's energy resource limitations.
The ban, while a victory for local activists, faces potential legal challenges and the possibility of being overridden by future state legislation. Industry groups, such as the Maryland Tech Council led by CEO Kelly Schulz, have criticized the ban, stating it could cost the county a "generational opportunity" for economic growth and job creation by rejecting emerging industries.