Maryland Governor's Executive Order Impacts Montgomery County Data Center Moratorium
Montgomery County residents and leaders are evaluating a new executive order by Gov. Wes Moore, which creates a state review process and task force for large data centers. This comes amidst an existing 18-month county moratorium on data center permits, particularly impacting a proposed project at an old coal plant in Dickerson. Residents and environmental groups continue to raise concerns about water use, electricity demand, noise, and environmental protections.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has issued an executive order establishing a state review process and task force for large data centers, requiring projects with a peak demand of 25 megawatts or more to be rated against state priorities. The order also bans non-disclosure agreements between state agencies and developers and creates a public dashboard for accountability. This state action is being evaluated by residents and local leaders in Montgomery County, particularly in Dickerson, where an 18-month county-wide moratorium on large data center permits is currently in effect, impacting a proposed data center campus at a former coal plant site.
The proposed data center, initially associated with Terra Energy and later Atmosphere Data Centers, faces significant local opposition, with residents like Steven Findlay of the Sugarloaf Citizens Association expressing concerns about water usage from the Potomac River, electricity demand potentially requiring new power plants, noise, and construction traffic. Environmental groups, including Nature Forward and Food & Water Watch, acknowledge the order's positive steps like transparency but criticize its vagueness on environmental protections and advocate for a statewide moratorium until more enforceable regulations are passed.
Montgomery County leaders, including Council President Natali Fani-González and Councilmember Laurie‑Anne Sayles, view the governor's order as complementary to the county's existing pause and ongoing efforts to draft new zoning rules by 2027. While welcoming the state's input, they emphasize that local land-use decisions remain with the county. Councilmember Sayles plans to introduce legislation for community benefit investment agreements to ensure clear and enforceable project obligations. County Executive Marc Elrich's staff is also reviewing the state framework's integration with local work.