Montgomery County environmental advocates urge passage of 18-month data center moratorium
Montgomery County, MD is considering an 18-month data center moratorium and a zoning amendment to restrict large data centers (over 25MW). Environmental advocates are urging the County Council to approve these measures due to concerns about climate impact, water consumption, and energy use. The full council is expected to vote on Tuesday.
Montgomery County, MD, is poised to consider an 18-month moratorium on data center development and an amended zoning text amendment (ZTA) that would prohibit data centers larger than 25 megawatts. These measures received recommendations for approval from the County Council's Economic Development Committee and the Planning, Housing and Parks committee on Wednesday, with the full County Council expected to vote on Tuesday.
Environmental advocates, including Caroline Taylor of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Jorge Aguilar of Food & Water Watch, and Karen Metchis of the Montgomery County Sierra Club, are actively urging the full council to pass both proposals. They voice concerns about the industry's impact on the county's climate goals, high energy and water consumption—particularly from the Potomac River for cooling—ecosystem effects, and noise pollution.
The push for these regulations intensified following public awareness of a proposed 360-megawatt data center campus in Dickerson, a site initially applied for by Florida-based Terra Energy and now being developed by California-based Atmosphere Data Centers. Opponents are particularly wary of Atmosphere's plans to use diesel backup generators, despite the company's claims of focusing on sustainable technologies and energy efficiency.