Maryland는 지자체 유예와 지역사회 캠페인을 통한 데이터센터 확장 반대에 직면하고 있습니다.

More than 60 advocacy groups across Maryland are urging state leaders in Annapolis to impose a temporary pause on new data center proposals until environmental and community impacts are fully understood and protective policies are established.

This push follows recent moves by 14 of Maryland’s 24 local jurisdictions to independently impose temporary bans on data center development. Advocates argue this patchwork of local restrictions underscores the urgent need for a coherent state policy to govern these power-intensive facilities.

Pushback against data centers has gained national momentum as the federal push to lead the global artificial intelligence race drives up utility bills, prompting states and communities to demand that tech companies cover their own energy costs. During its last session, the Maryland legislature passed a bill commissioning a comprehensive study on the impact of data centers on air quality, water resources, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the electricity grid.

The analysis was conducted jointly by the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Department of Legislative Services will coordinate and submit the final report, which was due Sept. 1, to the governor and the General Assembly.

In an Aug. 27 letter, the environmental groups warned that the scale and speed of data center development have outpaced government capacity to evaluate impacts and establish regulatory guardrails. Without adequate safeguards, they argued, “communities and ratepayers are being asked to absorb risks before clear standards are established.”

According to the letter, residential energy bills rose by 44 percent between 2020 and 2025, a spike advocates attribute largely to data center energy demand. Rapid development also threatens Maryland’s watersheds through massive water withdrawals and potential chemical contamination, while disproportionately burdening Black, brown, and Indigenous communities that are frequently situated near industrial facilities.

The letter was released roughly two months before the general election, where Gov. Wes Moore faces Republican challenger Dan Cox, who has advocated for a statewide ban on hyperscale data centers. With the General Assembly session following the election, advocates are advancing their demands early to ensure Annapolis leaders address the issue.

Jomar Lloyd, Maryland organizer for Food & Water Watch—an advocacy group championing the state moratorium and a signatory to the letter—stated that Maryland lacks a comprehensive strategy for addressing data centers. “The majority of counties still do not have adequate protections, and it’s also burdensome to local officials to shoulder the responsibility of crafting rules and regulations for an industry that is ramming its way into underprepared and unwilling communities,” Lloyd said in emailed comments.

Lloyd noted that households are already absorbing costs related to data center tax exemptions, grid upgrades, and water usage, though he acknowledged these facilities are not the sole driver of rising energy bills. He emphasized that Maryland alone paid $108 million in 2024 for data center-related transmission costs.

Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, referenced the stalled Republican-led HB 120, which proposed a statewide data center moratorium but died in committee during the 2026 legislative session. Coble said the bill failed due to industry pushback and its inclusion of natural gas and nuclear energy, which “created a fracture in the conservation community.”

Coble anticipates a different political landscape in 2027. With opposition growing both in Maryland and nationally, rising electricity costs have made residents increasingly skeptical of hosting the industry. She said upcoming legislation must prioritize pausing construction until critical issues are resolved, including water use and quality, energy sourcing, transmission infrastructure, community benefits, and site selection.

“I think a statewide approach would serve the state better, but if the administration and members of the General Assembly can’t make progress on this, then the counties have every right to act on their own,” she said. She warned that without uniform standards, projects could simply migrate to unrestricted counties, “speaking to the need for statewide leadership.”

The two advocates diverged on how effectively Annapolis is addressing the crisis. Coble maintained that the legislature fully grasps the link between data centers, electricity bills, and housing affordability. “The legislature is absolutely connecting the dots between data centers and affordability,” she said. “In fact, affordability is the root of every bill in front of the legislature.” She identified affordability and site selection as the primary drivers of public opposition, noting bluntly, “No one wants a data center near them.”

Lloyd countered that while legislators understand the issue, they remain silent publicly. He noted that Food & Water Watch has held informal discussions with some General Assembly members, yet none have responded to the coalition’s letter, nor has the governor’s office. “It’s really unfortunate to see that lawmakers aren’t meeting the moment by speaking out on this issue in a public-facing way, especially when residents have been so outspoken in their opposition,” he said.

Gov. Moore’s administration maintains that data center developers, not Maryland ratepayers, should cover the power costs associated with their projects, spokesperson Rhyan Lake stated in a press release. Lake added that proposed facilities must hire local workers, stimulate economic growth, engage with surrounding communities, and protect the environment. Furthermore, she emphasized that no data center should advance without explicit local support.

Lake confirmed the administration will review the forthcoming Data Center Impact Analysis Report. Moore has previously cautioned against permitting data centers to “write their own rules,” citing practices in Northern Virginia where costs are shifted to regional customers.

Lake noted that Moore has also advocated for governance reforms within the regional transmission organization PJM, alongside increased transparency and accountability for ratepayers. Recently, the governor signed the Utility RELIEF Act, designed to lower utility bills, modernize the state’s power grid, and mandate that large corporations—including data centers—fund infrastructure upgrades necessitated by their operations. Despite this, Moore has not endorsed a statewide moratorium, unlike his election opponent, Cox.

A recent Data Center Watch report covering January through March 2026 revealed that at least 75 data center projects, valued at nearly $130 billion, were blocked or delayed nationwide amid surging local opposition. This single quarter matched the total volume of delays recorded throughout all of 2025.

“The number of active opposition groups has more than doubled since the end of Q4 2025, now spanning 49 states,” the report stated, highlighting that 14 states have introduced bipartisan legislation for statewide moratoria.

“A moratorium can buy time, but it does not solve the underlying problem,” said Yueming “Lucy” Qiu, a professor and the Roy F. Weston Chair in Natural Economics at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.

Qiu noted that a pause can mitigate certain expenses if implemented before infrastructure investments are finalized, adding that it “can also give regulators time to improve their load forecasts and decide how new projects should be connected and charged.”

However, she cautioned that a moratorium does not address existing data centers or ongoing grid investments, nor would halting Maryland projects fully shield state customers from data center expansion elsewhere in the PJM region. “I would view a moratorium as a temporary planning tool, not a long-term solution,” she said. “The important question is what the state does with the time it creates.”

Qiu also warned against attributing Maryland’s rising residential electricity rates solely to data centers. She cited distribution-rate hikes, power plant retirements, reliability-must-run payments, transmission investments, and weather-driven demand as additional cost drivers. “I think the fair conclusion is that data centers are an important driver of recent capacity and transmission costs, but they are not the only reason Maryland residents are paying more,” she said.

She expects a mix of dela