Montgomery County, MD — Today, Councilman Evan Glass’s data center task force legislation was voted down 3-2. Several councilmembers said they believed the county did not need a comprehensive analysis tailored to Montgomery County’s needs. The vote follows a county town hall meeting last month where residents and data center opponents called for a moratorium amidst concerns of noise pollution, gas power plant expansion, and water usage.

Southern Regional Director for Food & Water Watch Jorge Aguilar issued the following statement in response: 

“It’s beyond irresponsible for Montgomery County leaders to ignore the viable threat that data centers pose to residents. Failing to study the impacts the centers will have on electricity rates, water resources, pollution emissions, and inequity is a grave mistake. At a time when residents across the country are extremely concerned about economic uncertainty, the Commissioners are failing to act. 

“Marylanders have seen electricity bills go up nearly 50 percent since 2020 and it’s likely to get worse if the County fails to act. These centers only threaten to make the situation worse by also driving up the demand for new costly, polluting methane gas power plants. Councilmembers should pass an immediate proposal for a moratorium on data centers in Montgomery County to help ensure Maryland families come first — not exploitative data center developers.”

Lawmakers in Maryland have already raised the alarm over increases to ratepayer electricity bills, warning a buildout in the state could increase bills by $70 monthly.

Last week, Food & Water Watch released a first-of-its-kind report detailing the harms of the AI and data center boom infiltrating communities around the country. In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Since then, over 250+ organizations have joined the call.