Baltimore City bill would put one-year pause on data center development

The Baltimore City Council is considering a bill that would impose a one-year pause on the construction of large data centers within the city. The proposal, introduced Monday night, aims to investigate the potential impacts of data center development on residents' already high energy bills, community health, and neighborhoods. Council President Zeke Cohen expressed concerns that Baltimore City should not be a "guinea pig" for such projects, citing how data centers in Northern Virginia have contributed to higher energy prices. The push for a moratorium follows an investigation called for by the Maryland Office of the People's Council into a BGE transmission line project at the Baltimore Peninsula, where council members fear a data center could be built, leaving South Baltimore residents to bear the costs. State Senate President Bill Ferguson also introduced a similar bill in Annapolis earlier this month to block data centers statewide. Residents voiced their worries about further increases to their BGE bills, some noting unexplained spikes in recent years. BGE, in a statement, affirmed its commitment to ensuring large load customers pay their fair share for grid upgrades and is actively studying the impacts of data centers on the electric grid. The City Council plans to hold an informational hearing on community impacts before voting on the proposed moratorium.