Calvert County Commissioners unanimously pass 6-month data center moratorium

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. - In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, all five Calvert County Commissioners agreed to enact a six-month moratorium on accepting any new data center applications.

The decision gives local leaders time to determine the county's next steps regarding data center developments, ranging from potential zoning changes to an outright ban.

Frustration from residents 

What they're saying:

Tuesday's public hearing was crowded as homeowners, business owners, and residents filled the council chambers to voice their opposition during public comment.

While the commissioners approved a half-year hold, many attendees said that a six-month pause is insufficient, instead calling for an ironclad two-year moratorium modeled after similar measures implemented by other Maryland jurisdictions.

Residents raised concerns over a "watered-down" measure, arguing that the public is prepared to fight for the future of Calvert County.

Many emphasized that the temporary hold must serve as an initial step rather than a final solution. Others cited concerns about the toll data center projects would take on local power grids, water supply, and noise levels.

Amazon’s withdrawal

Big picture view:

The vote follows Amazon's recent decision to withdraw plans to build three data centers near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby. The original proposal faced community backlash over its environmental and infrastructure impacts.

Addressing the potential financial scope of the proposed project, Calvert County Commissioner Earl Hance noted the scale of the lost opportunity alongside the county's duty to evaluate it.

"The budget for the project was 22 billion," Hance said. "And people have asked lately, what was the county getting out of that? Well, the revenue would've been 400 million a year to Calvert County. At least from the start, we had an obligation to figure out, what is this, is it good for Calvert County, is it not good for Calvert County?"

Grassroots campaign

The backstory:

The community resistance began when residents spotted a job posting by Amazon for a construction manager in the small town of Lusby. Realizing data center development plans were quietly underway, residents organized a grassroots effort and began packing county meetings.

Organizers, including Melissa Emmal, who helped gather more than 10,000 signatures in support of a moratorium, highlighted the impact of community action.

"Really exciting to see a county come together like ours did — across party lines, and to have so many people come to meetings, grassroots organizing," Emmal said. "We flipped our county council, got this moratorium in place, and it was all because of individual people making the choice to be active."

With this vote, Calvert County becomes the latest Maryland jurisdiction to enact a data center moratorium, joining Montgomery, Howard, and Prince George's counties in putting a temporary pause on new facility approvals.

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