Overview
- At a campaign stop near an Adamstown elementary school, Dan Cox vowed a statewide, permanent ban on new mega data centers and outlined plans for a temporary freeze, independent environmental testing, and mandated compensation for property and environmental harm.
- Cox accused Gov. Wes Moore of fast-tracking permits and pledged to pursue statutory changes and an immediate executive order to halt projects if elected.
- Gov. Moore has defended his record by pointing to recent executive orders that require data centers to supply their own power and avoid polluting air or water.
- Local governments have already paused or reviewed data-center proposals and the state created a Data Center Task Force to examine large projects and permitting impacts.
- The debate touches voters' daily lives through complaints about construction noise, diesel backup generators, heavy electricity and water use, and the pledge arrives as Maryland voters begin early voting in the Nov. 3 governor's race.