We must bring real wisdom to the building of data centers in our communities.
In this moment, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving a corporate building spree in the region our congregations serve.
Already, over 600 “hyperscale” data centers have been built across Virginia and more are proposed for Maryland: massive, loud server warehouses that occupy acres of land and run day and night, making obscene demands on our energy grid and polluting entire communities’ air and water. And too often, the cost of all this infrastructure is borne by us on our energy bills. (Learn more from our recent webinar here.)
Neighbors in Virginia and across the country can testify that data centers are often sited in overburdened and underserved Black, brown, and lower-income communities.
Since existing laws are generally inadequate to restrict data center development, many of these facilities can get permitted without any requirement to seek community input from those who will be most impacted. And communities that already are being made sick by pollution from clusters of fossil fuel facilities therefore have precisely the kind of energy infrastructure in place that attracts data centers, compounding environmental injustice.
While the prospect of corporate profits from the AI “boom” is imposing one data center proposal after another onto our region, every local community has grassroots power to weigh in on how their land, water, and energy are used.
Data center expansion is driven by AI, but we are driven by something else: our ancient sacred traditions – real human wisdom – about living well in community and caring for each other and for the land and water we share.
Take Action Statewide & Nationwide
- Maryland
Call on your state senators to slow down the data center rush
- Virginia & Beyond
Call on Congress to slow down the data center rush
Bring Real Wisdom To Your Congregation
Your congregation can join with neighbors to bring wise-heartedness to data center debates already underway in these communities.
Invite your congregation to learn more about data centers, to speak out for pending legislation in Maryland and Virginia with bulletin insert petitions and downloadable photo signs, and to make thoughtful decisions about their own uses of AI.
Want to engage your congregation even more on data centers? Sign up below to get support in holding an program this fall, which could include a guest sermon or speaker, an educational forum, “Souls to the Polls” event, and much more!
Our Faith Traditions Respond
see more
Watch:
- IPL-DMV’s Robin Lewis speaks to Catholic Climate Covenant – The Growing Impacts of Data Centers on Our Neighbors and God’s Creation
- United Methodist Creation Justice Movement’s June 2026 Movement Café: Energy Impacts of Data Centers
Read:
On May 25th, 2026, Pope Leo XVI’s published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (or Magnificent Humanity) focusing on AI ethics and centering humanity in a world of technological advancement. Visit this page from Catholic Climate Covenant for a summary of the encyclical, a pastoral kit and many other resources.
- A Jewish Case for AI work exemptions – Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg
- You Can Now Get a Religious Exemption From Using AI at Work (featuring a Unitarian Universalist) – Futurism
- The ethical risks of using AI as a Muslim – Athan Academy
Make More Mindful Use of AI
It’s important to remember that we as human beings and our own wise hearts should be deciding how we use technology. Explore some ways to make choices about how much you engage AI in your daily life.
Take Action on Data Centers in Your Community
Your neighbors are coming together to respond to data center proposals for communities across Maryland, as are communities across the country (see this Data Center Site Fight Guide, a living document from the Data Center Working Group, and RMI’s Community Guide One-Pager).
Nationwide
learn more
NATIONWIDE LEGISLATION:
Amidst a growing number of proposed state moratorium bills pausing data center development across the country, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced an AI Data Center Moratorium Act in the US Congress in March.
KEEP TRACK OF DATA CENTERS:
Keep track of data centers: Advocate Erin Brockovich launched this crowdsourced mapping initiative showing projects operational, under construction, proposed, and community reported.
Maryland
learn more
Sixteen Maryland counties along with Baltimore City and the Town of Federalsburg (in Caroline County), are actively under new regulations, moratoriums of some length, or in the case of Harford County, a permanent ban on data centers. Three additional counties – Charles, Talbot and Somerset – are considering new legislation.
Maryland congregations are coming together through Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) to join the Maryland Data Center Reform Coalition in speaking out for strong policies that hold data centers to high standards of community input and responsible energy usage.
STATEWIDE LEGISLATION:
Our voices are urgently needed: A 2025 report found that data centers are currently costing customers on Maryland’s regional grid over $9 billion in increased energy costs annually. The two dozen tech companies promoting data centers to our legislators through the Maryland Tech Council may be loud, but our wise hearts, the real human wisdom of those most impacted, must prevail.
In December 2025, the Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Wes Moore’s veto of a data center study bill passed during the previous legislative session. The results of the study are to be released in September 2026. Several pieces of data center legislation passed during the 2026 state legislative session.
Watch:
Listen:
Anne Arundel County
STATUS: UNDER 15 MONTH MORATORIUM
On July 20th, 2026, Councilmember Nathan Volke introduced Bill 63-26, which according to The Banner “sought to remove from the county code any provision for data centers — from massive hyperscale facilities to small edge data centers housing servers in office buildings,” constituting an effective ban. The legislation was later opposed by the defense and cybersecurity industries as well as advocates of Fort Meade, home of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. During a hearing on September 21st, the County Council passed a heavily amended version of Volke’s bill, instituting a work study group that will make recommendations to the Council along with a moratorium that will last 15 months or until the study concludes.
Baltimore City
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
In Baltimore City, we’re following the lead of Sacred Parks and Waterways — a grassroots group protesting the pollution and tree removals brought by Johns Hopkins’ proposed Data Science and AI (DSAI) Institute. (In addition, a transmission line BGE proposed for Port Covington at the Baltimore Peninsula raised community concern that the infrastructure would not only tear up the streets and raise bills but might also enable data center development there. Outcry from city and state legislators and residents prompted BGE to pause the project on March 4, 2026.)
In late March, Council President Zeke Cohen introduced a one-year moratorium on data center development in the Baltimore City Council, which advanced out of the Land Use & Transportation Committee on May 7, 2026. During this hearing, IPL-DMV’s Anjali Gulati, a Baltimore City resident, testified to the committee pushing for the Johns Hopkins data center to be included in this moratorium (click on the video to see her testimony). However, the project is not subject to this pause, and the Maryland Board of Public Works approved over $9 million in state funding to its construction. The moratorium passed by a full council vote just days later on May 11.
The approval of the moratorium has not stopped the push for new legislation. Council Bill 26-0174, introduced in April by Councilwoman Phylicia Porter but brought recently to the forefront, would make data centers eligible for a conditional use permit and require a health equity assessment prior to approval. However, advocates, including Hillary Gonzalez of The People’s Green Liberation Coalition, are concerned that these assessments will be conducted by developers themselves and not independent third parties — allowing projects to be approved on the basis of biased studies. Also of concern is these assessments’ limited geographic scope, just 1.5 miles from the proposed site, along with approved zoning districts being located in populated and environmentally overburdened areas such as Curtis Bay, Canton and Hampden.
TAKE ACTION:
- Sign this petition to call for a data center ban in Baltimore City, sponsored by The People’s Green Liberation Coalition
CONNECT:
- The People’s Green Liberation Coalition (PGLC) and their founding organization Sacred Parks & Waterways have been leading grassroots actions opposing data center development, ircluding the Hopkins DSAI project, in Baltimore City.
LEARN:
- Baltimore Brew: Despite protests, poetry and a cease-and-desist letter, Hopkins cuts down city trees for AI Institute
- Baltimore Peninsula considering data centers
Baltimore County
STATUS: UNDER MORATORIUM UNTIL END OF 2027
Security Land and Development LP had proposed a data center for Woodlawn, seeking to begin development as soon as summer 2026, until the Baltimore County Council passed a moratorium on data center permits in February that will delay for at least a year.
TAKE ACTION:
- Sign this petition from Our Land. Our Home. Our Baltimore County calling for ban on new construction of hyperscale data centers in the county.
CONNECT:
- Our Land. Our Home. Our Baltimore County
- A grassroots group neighbors and local residents who have come together to educate, share information, follow the public process, and advocate for their communities as Baltimore County determines how it will address data center development. Join their Facebook Group.
- Stop Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (StopMPRP)
- The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, which some landowners describe as an “extension cord” for the data centers in Northern Virginia, would place a 67-mile transmission line across three Maryland counties — Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll, and faces tremendous opposition from impacted farmers.
WATCH:
- Baltimore County Planning Department’s Data Center Study Meeting (March 2026), featuring a number of the most common pro-data center arguments, made by union representatives and a slide presentation by the Maryland Tech Council’s Kelly Schultz
Calvert County
STATUS: UNDER SIX-MONTH MORATORIUM | WITHDRAWN PROPOSAL
In March 2025, the Calvert County commissioners adopted a zoning text amendment regulating where data centers are permitted. Records obtained by Informed St Mary’s showed that that same month, County Commission President Earl “Buddy” Hance signed a nondisclosure agreement related to a potential project, and found reference to a pending permit for a “Minut Developers LLC – Data Center” at 1650 Calvert Cliffs Parkway in Lusby.
In late February 2026, Amazon Web Services posted a job ad on LinkedIn seeking a “senior construction manager” for building a data center in Lusby, which was widely shared on social media, driving concern among residents that new data centers adjacent to the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant and 2.5 miles north of Southern Middle School were already a done deal.
In late March, Amazon Web Services shared a concept plan at a community meeting, which envisions up to eight data centers to the south and west area of the nuclear plant. The property is already zoned for heavy industry use, and would not need to be rezoned for the project to proceed.
Separately, real estate firm Natelli Holdings is proposing a data center on 133 acres of County land south of the potential AWS campus, at 10475, 10485, & 10495 Solomons Island Road.
According to the County’s website, “government departments and other reviewing agencies completed the 1st round review of the Concept Site Plan and review comments were provided to the applicant on July 13, 2026.” However, on August 4th it was announced that Amazon had formally withdrawn their proposal “after a thorough review” according to an Amazon spokesperson in an email to The BayNet. Weeks prior, the County’s Planning and Zoning Director Jason Brinkley said their submitted site plan “did not meet the basic requirements for stormwater management.”
Months after the Board of County Commissioners voted down a two-year moratorium, the Board voted unanimously to pass a six-month pause following a public hearing featuring dozens of pro-moratorium testifiers.
CONNECT:
- Follow moratorium petition creator and activist Melissa Emmal on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for news and action alerts.
- Join Stop Data Centers in Calvert Facebook Group
- Facebook group Southern MD Data Centers Watch posts news and updates on data center developments across Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties.
TAKE ACTION:
- Grassroots petitions from Calvert County residents opposing data centers include this Care2 and this unrelated campaign on Change.org. Share your concerns about data centers on this survey from Keep Calvert County.
READ:
Diana Mendez-Smith, Ethan Cox, and neighbors protest proposed data centers in Calvert County in April 2026. (Photo: Jeff Dixon)
Caroline County
STATUS: COUNTY (1 YEAR) & FEDERALSBURG (3 YEARS) UNDER MORATORIA
On June 26th, 2026, the Town of Federalsburg said in a statement that town and Caroline County officials were “exploring” data center development. While they assert no “official discussions” have taken place, The Star Democrat reports that “According to Federalsburg Mayor Kim Abner, discussions for a potential data center have taken place with David Wright of Landwright Power Strategies, based in Washington state, according to his LinkedIn.”
On July 13th, the town, Maryland Tech Council (a pro-data-center trade association) and project developers hosted a public meeting at Federalsburg Elementary School. The three hour event featured slide presentations by the Tech Council and developer David Wright to the hundreds of attendees, followed an often contentious question and answer session. “Why we need data centers ” at one point was projected on the gymnasium screen. The developer states the campus dubbed the “Fieldstone Technology Center” is still in early planning and has not been formally proposed or approved by the City of Federalsburg. Council Member Ian Ferguson opposes the plan stating in part to WBOC, “Too many examples lay before us of communities that have had their resources extracted, their lands compromised, and their futures cut short by the promises of wildly inflated benefits.”
Caroline County Commissioners voted to institute a one-year moratorium a week later on July 21st. The pause on permitting approvals or construction of data centers did not apply to incorporated areas such as the Town of Federalsburg. However, the Federalsburg Town Council approved a moratorium of their own, allotted for three years, in early August. This action ostensibly blocks that Wright’s embattled proposal.
Carroll County
STATUS: UNDER MORATORIUM
The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, which some landowners describe as an “extension cord” for the data centers in Northern Virginia, would place a 67-mile transmission line across three Maryland counties — Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll, and faces tremendous opposition from impacted farmers.
A data center moratorium was recently approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
Connect: Stop Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (StopMPRP)
CONNECT:
Charles County
STATUS: CONSIDERING REGULATIONS | WITHDRAWN PROPOSAL
TeraWulf Proposal:
On Feb. 2, 2026, TeraWulf Inc. announced it had acquired the Morgantown Generating Station in Newberg. (Several groups have called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject the purchase, though, because TeraWulf failed to disclose Google’s 14% ownership stake in the company.) While no specific development plans have been announced, TeraWulf develops and operates data centers and the site includes about 250 acres and the capacity for additional energy generation, raising the possibility that a data center could co-locate with the power plant. Learn more here about the data center proposed for the Morgantown Generation Station.
On March 26th, advocates rallied in Annapolis to oppose Governor Moore’s administration, and the Maryland Department of the Environment expediting a massive gas-burning power plant to power anticipated Charles County data centers. (Watch here.)
Later that month, The Banner reported on behind-the-scenes conversations between TeraWulf CEO Paul Prager and Governor Wes Moore’s administration beginning in fall 2025. The subject line of a message from Prager to Gov. Moore’s deputy chief of staff Chichi Nyagah-Nash read “…I need that letter asap!!!” He was referring to a letter of support he received hours later from Serena McIlwain, Secretary of Maryland’s Department of the Environment, promising among other assurances the expedited approval of permits for natural gas pipelines the developer plans to employ in powering the proposed data center. While TeraWulf and Moore’s administration deny any accusations of wrongdoing and backroom-dealing, skeptics also point to donations totaling $24,000 Prager and his wife made to Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller 10 months before meeting with the governor in October 2025. Read the whole investigation here.
On July 29th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the sale of the Morgantown Generating Station to TeraWulf, but did not rule on any other actions including construction of the data center and any generation, sale of energy or interconnection changes related to the power plant.
Regulations:
A proposed zoning text amendment related to data centers was drafted by the Planning Commission, which will make a recommendation to the County Commissioners. An amended version of this Zoning Text Amendment (numbered #25-187) was drafted after previous public comment, which No Data Centers Charles County says still does not address:
- “Regulating the data centers electricity and water uses.
- Environmental protections against noise, air, or water pollution
- Bringing relief to residents with skyrocketing utility costs due to data centers outside of our county.”
On June 1st, the Planning Commission held a hearing on this amended Zoning Text Amendment where dozens of concerned neighbors packed the room and spoke out on data centers. Preceding the hearing, Charles County Against Data Centers Coalition hosted a rally outside the County Government Building in La Plata featuring speeches from leaders and friends, including IPL-DMV’s own Anjali Gulati and Dr. Sacoby Wilson of CEEJH.
TAKE ACTION:
- Sign this petition to call for a data center ban in Charles County.
CONNECT:
- No Data Centers Charles County and Charles County Against Data Centers Coalition are two grassroots coalitions of community groups fighting data centers in the county.
- Facebook group Southern MD Data Centers Watch posts news and updates on data center developments across Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties.
Dorchester County
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
On August 4th, 2026, the Dorchester County Council instituted a one-year moratorium on data centers. During this time, county staff will prepare recommendations for the Planning Commission who will in turn provide suggestions for informing County Council on future legislation and regulation.
Frederick County
STATUS: UNDER MORATORIUM UNTIL JULY 2027 | DEVELOPMENT UNDER CONSTRUCTION
In late December 2025, against the Planning Commission’s recommendations and public outcry, the County Council voted to allow for data center expansion beyond the original EastAlco Data Center Complex, including by rezoning land currently designated as Priority Preservation Areas and Rural Legacy Areas.
The Frederick County Data Center Referendum Committee, led by Envision Frederick, collected signatures for a referendum on the ballot that “would give residents the opportunity to weigh in before additional expansion occurs and before the state has completed comprehensive studies on the environmental, energy, and economic impacts of data centers.”
In March 2026, a Frederick County official told a Monocacy River advisory commission to cancel a public discussion about data center impacts on waterways which had been planned for April.
On April 3rd, the Board of Elections validated the Data Center referendum to be placed on the ballot, with 21,029 validated signatures.
“I expect most county residents don’t fully appreciate yet what sort of money developers and data center interests are going to dump into an all out campaign to convince voters here that they are the best thing that ever happened to Frederick County,” writes community activist Kai Hagen. “It will … include highly polished and slick mailers to all of us. It will be a massively expensive and one-sided messaging blitz unlike anything we’ve ever experienced here.
“And the opposing point of view, that says we should let the current data centers in the hopper get substantially built out, and the real impacts be properly evaluated before approving additional expansion … will have to come from a broad and diverse collection of people and organizations that will not have even a tiny fraction of money that will be spent by the data center interests.
“This a David vs. Goliath fight ahead, folks. But some good news is that, across the country … the Davids have been winning these fights against the Goliaths. And we can win, too.”
On April 10th, the developer behind the proposed project, Quantum Maryland LLC, filed a lawsuit to challenge the Board of Elections’ certification of the referendum votes. On June 30th, the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the Frederick County Circuit Court’s decision to invalidate the referendum and preventing inclusion in the November ballot.
A day later on July 1st, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater announced an executive order halting all data center applications through the end of 2026. However, existing projects already in the pipeline will continue moving through their approvals.
On September 1st, County Exec. Fitzwater revealed a “community benefit agreement” proposed by Frederick Digital Campus developer Catellus that included $110 million for community projects and a promise to “reduce the square footage of data center development by nearly 20 percent, reduce potable water usage by 80 percent, and provide 433 acres of nature reserve at the campus.” In response to public comment, she rejected the agreement on September 14, stating in a special announcement that the fast-changing data center industry “should not be shielded from future local laws.” Fitzwater concurrently signed an executive order to extend the moratorium on new data center applications until July 1, 2027, so that new data center construction will not be approved before Maryland’s Data Center Impact Analysis and Report is released. Construction on the Digital Campus has since continued however, as the pause did not apply to previously-approved projects.
To keep up-to-date with data center current events in Frederick County, visit the county’s website here.
CONNECT:
- Join the conversation on the Former Frederick County Data Center Referendum Committee group on Facebook.
- Stop Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (StopMPRP)
- The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, which some landowners describe as an “extension cord” for the data centers in Northern Virginia, would place a 67-mile transmission line across three Maryland counties — Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll, and faces tremendous opposition from impacted farmers.
Collecting referendum signatures at Beyond Comics in Frederick.
Harford County
STATUS: UNDER PERMANENT BAN
Concurrent to reports of data center development talks at Mountain Branch Golf Course in Joppa, Councilmember Jacob Bennett proposed a 90-day moratorium during an April 21 Harford County Council meeting. In early May 2026, following concerns from the community and Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly on the short length of the pause, he introduced legislation to permanently ban data centers in the County. In a packed hearing room on May 19, the County Council simultaneously approved amendments to Executive Cassilly’s ban, while throwing out Cm. Bennett’s 90-day pause. Read here WMAR-2’s story on the hearing and the community’s testimonies.
During a packed public hearing on June 9th, the Council passed County Executive Cassilly’s outright data center ban, becoming the first county in Maryland to do so.
CONNECT:
- Our Land. Our Home. Our Harford. is leading the charge in advocating for strong data center legislation in the County. Visit their website and join their group on Facebook to keep updated on news and actions.
Howard County
STATUS: UNDER 17-MONTH MORATORIUM
In early May 2026, councilwoman Christiana Rigby introduced Council Bill 31-2026, “Strategic Moratorium for Assessing Responsible Technology” or S.M.A.R.T. Siting bill. This bill will pause any potential data center development for 17 months (November 2027) while a task force conducts a study and issues a report on how the facilities should be defined, their implication for public health and safety and provides recommendations. Learn more about the proposal here. There are no publicly known hyperscale data center proposals in the county.
On May 18th, a public hearing on this bill took place to overwhelmingly favorable comments, and the Council unanimously voted to pass it just two weeks later on June 1st.
Kent County
STATUS: UNDER RESTRICTIONS
Kent County Commissioners voted unanimously at a public meeting in late July to approve a set of new regulations around data centers. The ordinance included the setting of two industrial zones where any potential future development must sit, a 300-foot setback from residential properties, noise and lighting restrictions, decommissioning plans for abandoned facilities, and a rule that projects must have “letters of no objection from state agencies, electric utilities and water providers before moving forward,” among others, according to Delmarva Public Media. WBOC reports that future actions are still being considered by the county, including legislation eliminating “by-right” development (or automatic approvals without public input), along with a temporary moratorium or permanent ban in parts of the county not under authority of city governments. Officials confirmed however that no data centers are being currently proposed.
Montgomery County
STATUS: UNDER 18-MONTH MORATORIUM | ACTIVE PROPOSAL
Since the summer of August 2024, Terra Innovations has been seeking to develop a data center in Dickerson on the site of a former coal-fired power plant, with the Climate Coalition of Montgomery County, Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Sugarloaf Citizens Association and other organizations tracking closely. Watch this webinar from The Climate Mobilization MoCo to learn more about the proposal.
County Executive Marc Elrich issued draft data center recommendations in mid-January, to which the county’s own Climate, Energy, and Air Quality Advisory Committee responded, as did the Montgomery County Climate Coalition, which is called for “an immediate moratorium on permitting for data centers while these policies are discussed and adopted in a transparent process with stakeholders.”
Councilmember Evan Glass introduced a year-long task force which did not get out of the two committees it faced after split votes on March 9th. Days later on March 13th, all three major candidates for county executive pledged to support only data centers powered by 100% clean energy. Around this time, Councilmembers Evan Glass and Will Jawando also introduced competing data center moratoria — Cm. Glass’ lasting six months and Cm. Jawando’s expiring after two years. However, Cm. Glass’ shorter pause as written would NOT have halted the Dickerson proposal.
As the Council’s public contentions on how to address data centers grew, Council President Natali Fani-González, Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles rejected their colleagues’ view that more time was needed to work through the issue and co-sponsored Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-01. Their proposal significantly more lenient — one version of the legislation allowed data centers in all industrial zones spread throughout the county.
County Executive Marc Elrich signed an executive order on June 12th directing the Department of Permitting Services to “temporarily pause the acceptance and processing of permit applications for new data centers in Montgomery County.” This development came just days before the Council held a public hearing on the aforementioned proposals from Cm. Glass and Jawando, where dozens of concerned neighbors attended testified in support of pauses and regulation.
On July 15th, the ZTA co-sponsors unexpectedly released a statement announcing a stronger and expedited approach to regulating data centers in Montgomery County, signaling newfound consensus amongst councilmembers. As announced in the July 15th statement, July 22nd saw the Economic Development (ECON) and Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committees meet in back-to-back worksessions where they respectively voted to move forward Cm. Glass’ moratorium, now amended to 18 months with the backing of six councilmembers, and a ZTA 26-01 altered to prohibit data centers over 25 megawatts in every zoning designation. Cms. Fani-González, Balcombe and Sayles co-sponsors say this Zoning Text Amendment would serve as a bridge between the current zoning ordinance and the future ZTA that will comprehensively address all the complex issues surrounding these developments. On July 22, both pieces of legislation passed the full County Council.
CONNECT:
- Climate Coalition Montgomery County is a group of residents and 20+ organizations responding to data centers and leading climate advocacy in the county. Stay in-the-know on news and actions by signing up for their newsletter.
- Montgomery Countryside Alliance, a member of the Climate Coalition, has been following the Dickerson proposal from the beginning. Sign up for their newsletter and reach out to them directly at info@mocoalliance.org with any questions.
- Food & Water Watch is fighting data centers across the country, including in Maryland and Montgomery County. Sign up for action alerts.
READ:
- In late July as the Council approved an 18-month moratorium and accompanying zoning text amendment, the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight released a detailed report on the impacts of data centers. Read it here.
WATCH:
Testimony:
- IPL-DMV Program Associate Ethan Lucas testifies at 6/16/26 moratoria hearing
- IPL-DMV’s Director Joelle Novey, of Silver Spring, at the County Executive’s forum and at the 100% clean energy pledge rally
- IPL-DMV’s Ignatian Volunteer, John Hisle of Chevy Chase, testifies at Montgomery County Council in support of a task force
From: Baltimore Banner: Montgomery County executive eyes 6-month data center moratorium, by Jack Hogan 2/4/26 (photo: Valerie Plesch)
Prince George's County
STATUS: UNDER TWO-YEAR MORATORIUM | ACTIVE PROPOSALS
Proposals & Legislation:
At least two data centers are proposed, one in Landover and one at the former Six Flags site. A County Council resolution in February 2025 established a Data Center Task Force, and a moratorium on data center permits awaiting the task force’s report. Just before the report was released in late 2025, 30 county organizations and community leaders sent the council a letter, asking for “a comprehensive, independent, science-based review must be undertaken to evaluate all viable scenarios for data center development” and requesting that the moratorium be extended.
On July 7th, 2026, the Council approved a two-year moratorium. This came days after County Executive Aisha Braveboy’s September 2025 executive order pausing data center development expired at the end of June 2026.
On July 23rd, zoning legislation introduced by Council Member Wanika Fisher (LDR-155-2026) was heard by the County Planning Board that permits data center development “by right” in areas zoned as Agricultural Residential or Rural Estate. The Planning Board’s legislative staff wrote a strongly-worded report recommending they reject the bill. “The board unanimously voted to accept the staff’s analysis of the amendment, but to take no position. If a council member chooses to move forward with the amendment, they can formally introduce it as a bill,” The Banner reports.
Text Message & Rev. Derrick Green:
Days followings the two-year moratorium’s approval on July 10th, many Prince George’s residents en masse received an unprompted pro-data center text message. The message touted alleged the economic benefit data centers, citing nearby Loudon County, Virginia (the site of “Data Center Alley”) and encouraged readers to “join the movement” through the website of a group called “Interfaith Action Movement.” This New Jersey based organization was revealed to be led by Rev. Derrick Green, a lobbyist and political consultant working in both New Jersey and Maryland, including as a registered lobbyist for the Prince George’s County government. Despite Rev. Green’s claims to be an elder in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in his interview with Religion News Service for a subsequent investigation, he refused to name his current congregation or any faith leader or communities who are part of his interfaith coalition. He also “declined to answer questions about how his organization was funded, including whether it received money from data center developers” according to RNS. “Faith leaders are residents. They live here. And the majority of residents in the county don’t support data centers,” said Robin Lewis, Prince George’s resident and Interfaith Power & Light DMV’s Director for Climate Equity. Read the full story here.
CONNECT:
- No Data Center in Landover is leading grassroots efforts to oppose data centers in Prince George’s County.
- Facebook group Southern MD Data Centers Watch posts news and updates on data center developments across Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties.
READ:
Report from Data Center Task Force – “Qualified Data Centers in Prince George’s County”
Counter report from CEEJH & NAACP – The People’s Report: A Gap Analysis of Data Center Infrastructure in Prince George’s County, Maryland
Data centers spark ‘fight for the soul’ of a mostly Black MD county
Queen Anne's County
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
On June 4th, 2026, Queen Anne’s County Commissioners approved a one-year data center moratorium, which went into effect upon passage. During this pause, the county looks to conduct an impact study and then amendments to zoning laws. No serious development proposals are publicly known.
Somerset County
STATUS: CONSIDERING MORATORIUM
Somerset County is actively considering a moratorium, although no official vote has occurred as of August 28th.
The county’s director of Technical and Community Services, Jesse Drewer, told WMDT:
“No data center has been proposed in Somerset County however the County is currently looking at the options available to regulate data centers, similar to our neighboring counties. This has been a very emergent field that is not currently addressed in the county zoning code. [Planning and Zoning] Staff will continue to advise the County Commissioners on the recommended steps to ensure this is addressed in the zoning code in an update in the near future and how to proceed in the interim until it is officially a section of the Zoning Code.”
St. Mary's County
STATUS: NO REGULATIONS BEING CURRENTLY CONSIDERED
Despite the proximity of St. Mary’s County to consequential data center fights in Charles and Calvert Counties, there have been no serious considerations or actions taken by the county government on regulation of them. Even so, community advocates are active and making their voices heard – see ways below to take action and stay-in-the-know.
TAKE ACTION:
- Sign this petition to support banning data centers in St. Mary’s County.
CONNECT:
- Facebook group Southern MD Data Centers Watch posts news and updates on data center developments across Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties.
- Follow the Stop Data Centers in Calvert Facebook Group and see their page of Calvert-specific information and resources.
Talbot County
STATUS: CONSIDERING MORATORIUM
On August 11th, the Talbot County Council introduced a one-year moratorium with the aims of studying data centers, particularly their impact on the county’s power and water systems, then creating regulations before the consideration of any proposals. As of August 24th, no vote has taken place on the bill.
Washington County
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
On June 30th, 2026, Washington County commissioners passed 4-1 a one-year data center moratorium following a public hearing on the issue. A suitability study will be conducted by County staff during this period, albeit on a shorter timeline than the 18 months they recommended.
Wicomico County
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
The Wicomico County Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on data centers at an August 4th public hearing. During this time, Delmarva Public Media says the county will continue their “ongoing comprehensive plan update and rezoning process” of which data centers will be a part.
Worcester County
STATUS: UNDER ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM
On July 21st, 2026, the Worcester County Commissioners established a moratorium on all pending and future data center and cable landing station applications for one year or “until rescinded by the commissioners.” As with many municipalities, county staff will use this period to “develop comprehensive zoning regulations governing the construction, location, and operation of these emerging land uses” according to the county’s statement announcing the decision.
Cable landing stations are included in this pause due to an analogous issue that the county, unlike data centers, actually faced a proposal for. Company Globalinx was looking to build 24,000-square-foot cable landing station near the Ocean City Municipal Airport that would connect four undersea internet cables to those on land. The project drew much community pushback, with large concern centered around “transparency, environmental impacts and a historic family cemetery on the site,” WBOC recalled.
Virginia
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Our neighbors in Northern Virginia have been on the front lines as the Commonwealth has become the world’s largest data center market over the past few years, and their struggle holds lessons for all of us. Northern Virginia congregations are working with our partners at Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light in supporting legislation to insist that new data centers be better neighbors.
STATEWIDE LEGISLATION:
In late June 2026, the Virginia General Assembly passed a two-year budget that included a number of new regulations on data centers — a hotly debated topic during negotiations. This includes a new energy consumption tax that could generate a maximum of $600 million a year, but it is little offset for the nearly $2 billion a report from Good Jobs First estimates the state would lose from unchanged tax incentives in the 2025 fiscal year alone. Other legislation requires the Department of Environmental Quality to create and enforce noise level standards alongside heightened water use oversight in to-be-determined “scarcity areas.” A previous version of the budget bill included a more stringent provision prohibiting all cooling systems that evaporate used water in these selected locations, but a milder version pushed by Governor Abigail Spanberger passed. Read more here.
LEARN:
- The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is monitoring the air around data centers
- Data Center reform legislation in the 2026 session and how each bill fared
WATCH:
Arlington County
Like nearby Alexandria, has been largely sparred from the boom of data center development surrounding counties have experienced in recent years. Speaking at Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit in late July, County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti remarked on how outside development as effected Arlington. “The next 10 years look very different for Northern Virginia [in terms of impacts] than the last 20 years.” “[Data centers] still have regional impacts — they don’t stop at a city line or county line,” “We’re going to feel the impacts.”
City of Alexandria
While the City of Alexandria, like neighboring Arlington County, has been largely sparred from the boom of data center development surrounding counties have experienced in recent years, Alexandria’s Mayor and City Council have vocally opposed a substation near city borders that Dominion Energy plans to power two data centers at Plaza 500. Read more about the project in Fairfax County’s section below.
Fairfax County
Plaza 500 & Edsall Road Substation:
Starwood Capital Group is looking to build two data centers at Plaza 500, a 34-acre site at the City of Alexandria’s border in Lincolnia. In applications submitted by the developer for the first building in July 2026, the facility is planned to total 226,469 square feet, stand at 75 feet tall and sit less than 100 feet from some homes. While the proposal is not subject to public approval due to the county’s by-right development laws, a new five acre substation Dominion Energy asserts is necessary to power the data center must go through a public hearing and vote. Nearby residents and community activists are using this process to speak out on their opposition to the development to county officials. “It’s the first and the only time that there will be a public hearing and a public vote on this,” Tyler Ray, with Save Bren Mar, and president of Bren Pointe Homeowners Association said to WUSA9. “So since the data center didn’t have to go through that, this is the public’s one and only time that they have a chance to make their voice heard.” But it’s not just the community that is taking exception to the substation on Edsall Road — Alexandria’s Mayor and City Council, Supervisor Andres Jimenez of Mason District and U.S. Representative Don Beyer, who represents the area, have called for the Fairfax County Planning Commission to reject Dominion’s application.
Loudoun County
Home to “Data Center Alley” and the self-proclaimed “Data Center Capital of the World,” Loudon County is home to over 250 of them by many estimates. The Department of Economic Development’s website even boasts that “There has not been a single day without data center construction in Loudoun in more than 15 years.”
Regulations:
On March 17th, 2026, the Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 to pass an amendment that ended “by-right” data center development — the historic practice of near automatic approvals for projects that meet standard zoning standards, which has allowed proposals to bypass more stringent review processes, discretion of county officials and public input. A resolution in the bill however allowed over twenty applications that were submitted by February 12th and sat 500 feet away from residences to skirt these new rules. A figure corrected in late August calculates that 18.2 million square feet of data center space were grandfathered in by the clause. Supervisors Juli E. Briskman and Laura A. TeKrony announced their plans to introduce legislation on September 1st to immediately end the grandfather clause (which was set to expire in March 2028) and force those applications to be approved individually by the Board.
Supervisor Briskman has also publicly discussed pausing the processing of applications entirely for a temporary period as new amendments to the county’s Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan are deliberated. “The community has basically been begging us to do something about the unchecked growth of data centers,” Briskman said. “The communities have been asking us to fight back against these big corporations that have basically been able to run roughshod over the county. I decided it was time that we actually just pumped the brakes, listened to the community, and just put a pause on all of it until we can get our arms around some of these other standards that we’ve been working on.”
Prince William County
According to the County’s interactive Build-Out Analysis map, Prince William has nearly 60 completed data center buildings, over 30 under construction and 50 projects planned.
Prince William Digital Gateway:
In December 2023, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors controversially approved the rezoning of nearly 2,000 acres adjacent to the Manassas National Battlefield Park for what was dubbed then to be the largest data center complex in the world. Developers QTS and Compass planned to build up to over 22 million square feet space of data center space over 37 buildings.
Nearby residents and the Oak Valley Homeowners Association along with American Battlefield Trust both filed lawsuits to stop the project, citing its proximity to the national landmark among other concerns. Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving handed the community their first win in August 2025, ruling the decisions related to the planned development were “void due to improper public notice ahead of the county’s 27-hour hearing and eventual vote on the matter according to InsideNoVA. The judgement was upheld by the Virginia Court of Appeals in March 2026, leading to Prince William County and developer Compass to withdraw their appeals. Later on July 2nd, QTS also decided to drop their appeal to the state Supreme Court, signaling the death of the project.
Dulles Cloud South:
Just days following the end of the legal fight around the Digital Gateway plan in Manassas, the Board of County Supervisors unanimously rejected a rezoning proposal that would have paved the way for an even larger data center campus in Dulles. Developers requested the County to allow industrial use of approximately 2,000 acres of agricultural and residential land near the Loudon County border for their intended 43 million square feet of data center development.
CONNECT:
- Stay in-the-know on news and actions from The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, a group leading in the fights against many of the data center proposals mentioned above. Follow on Facebook.
Regional Data Center Calendar
Keep in-the-know on all data center related events and dates in the MD, NoVA and DC region with our calendar!
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Data centers are being proposed rapidly in our region, and while some sites are tracking the known proposals, some developers begin projects under the radar. If you know of a data center proposal in your area, let us know!
Email ethan@ipldmv.org
