Councilman Glass proposes 6-month moratorium on data center permits

Montgomery County Councilman Evan Glass has formally proposed a six-month moratorium on new data center permits, marking the first official legislative attempt to pause data center construction in the county. The proposed bill aims to facilitate "meaningful community engagement" and address growing concerns among residents and officials regarding potential increases in water and air pollution, as well as rising energy bills. The moratorium, if enacted, could specifically impact a contentious planned data center in Dickerson, developed by Atmosphere. Glass's proposal follows earlier, unsuccessful efforts to regulate data centers, including a bill to create a task force. Other council members have also put forward different approaches: Council President Natali Fani-González introduced a bill in February to determine appropriate land-use regulations and locations for data centers, which was later amended to require developers to minimize water usage and procure 100% clean energy. Councilman Will Jawando previously suggested a two-year moratorium, though without formally introducing a bill. Atmosphere, the developer of the Dickerson project, has expressed strong opposition to a moratorium, with attorney Scott Wallace stating it "would significantly delay, and quite possibly derail, the project." Critics of unregulated data center growth, like Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, support the moratorium as a necessary first step, drawing comparisons to "Data Center Alley" in Northern Virginia and its reported impacts on utility costs and climate goals.