Overview
- Baltimore County’s council voted unanimously to extend its moratorium on new data centers through December 2027, citing resident concerns about energy, water, air quality and noise.
- Anne Arundel County adopted a 15-month moratorium that exempts projects already in development and creates a work group to recommend local legislation.
- Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing a Data Center Task Force to review large projects above 25 megawatts, publish a public dashboard and rate proposals as aligned, conditionally aligned or not aligned.
- Supporters of moratoria point to heavy electricity and water use and potential utility upgrades that could shift costs to ratepayers while opponents warn that pauses could stall tax revenue and construction jobs tied to defense and tech investments.
- Local planning boards and reports, including a Baltimore County study that urged keeping data centers away from residential areas, will feed into county rulemaking and the state task force’s review, shaping siting, permit and tax policy next.