Montgomery County, MD — At a press conference in Rockville yesterday, Montgomery County Councilman Will Jawando introduced a two-year moratorium for new data center permits. The announcement follows Councilman Evan Glass’ proposal for a six-month moratorium, introduced last week.

Residents across Maryland’s most populated county have been sounding the alarm on data center development, including in Dickerson where there are plans to develop a five-building data center campus on 700 acres of land co-located with the community’s old coal power generation station.

“Hyperscale data centers that seek to enrich Big Tech at Marylanders’ expense are not welcome in Montgomery County. Councilman Jawando’s data center moratorium is a welcome move in addressing this defining issue. In the face of gross inaction at the state level this past legislative session, this moratorium introduction highlights why local government is so crucial in protecting our communities, economy and environment,” said Food & Water Watch Maryland Organizer Jomar Lloyd.

In March, 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. Over 250+ organizations have since joined the call.

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