Montgomery County pausing data center permits for 6 months
Montgomery County considers 2-year data center moratorium bill
Councilmember at-large Will Jawando introduced legislation called the Data Center Moratorium, which would establish a 2-year moratorium on the issuance of building permits for data centers. FOX 5 D.C.'s Homa Bash has the story.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Montgomery County leaders announced a months-long moratorium on permitting for new data centers throughout the county on Friday.
What we know:
County Executive Marc Elrich signed an executive order on Friday that directs the Department of Permitting Services to stop accepting, processing and considering permit applications for new data centers.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Montgomery County residents push back on data center proposal
The moratorium goes into effect immediately, and applies to new permits as well as projects that have already been proposed, like the prospective data center at a decommissioned power plant in Dickerson.
What they're saying:
Elrich said that the moratorium is meant to give county officials time to set clear rules for data centers in the region.
"We've seen too many examples in government where development outpaces policy," Elrich said. "The responsible approach is to establish the rules, understand the impacts, and then make decisions within a clear framework."
Montgomery County Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe said that "the moratorium does not mean we stop; it means we work harder to address water, noise, and other issues tied to data centers."
Dig deeper:
Other similar permitting proposals were under consideration, one a two-year moratorium that included the Dickerson project, the other exempting the project, allowing it to continue in the permitting process.
What's next:
While the moratorium is expected to continue for six months, officials said they could end it early if the county adopts permanent zoning changes related to data centers.
The Source: Information in this story is from Montgomery County and previous FOX 5 reports.