Calvert County, Maryland, approves moratorium on new data centers
Calvert County, Maryland, has enacted a six-month moratorium on new data center projects following intense community opposition. This action came after Amazon abandoned plans to build three data centers near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, and three pro-data center county commissioners were voted out in a primary election.
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners in Maryland has approved a six-month moratorium on new data center projects, a decision driven by significant community opposition. The county, specifically Prince Frederick, joins a growing list of Maryland jurisdictions taking similar stances against data center development.
This move follows an earlier incident last spring when residents discovered plans for a group of data centers at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant after seeing a job posting for a project manager. Learning that county commissioners supported the project, the community organized, leading to three pro-data center commissioners being voted out in a June primary election. This political shift, coupled with intense community pushback, also resulted in Amazon abandoning its plans to build three data centers at the site just days before the moratorium vote.
Residents expect the Board of Commissioners to either extend the moratorium or move towards a permanent ban on data center development in the future.