5 things to know about data centers in Baltimore County

Baltimore County leaders have spent months wrestling with how to regulate data centers amid a furious backlash against the tech facilities.

The latest step was to give themselves more time. The County Council unanimously passed a bill Tuesday night extending the county’s moratorium on data centers through the end of 2027.

The county had already paused data center development until around Jan. 1. Now the freeze will continue for at least another year.

“Before we open more of this up to Baltimore County and development, I think that it’s crucial we get it right,” Republican council member Nino Mangione said at the meeting.

Here are five things to know about the county’s approach to data centers:

A new council can weigh in

The council will soon undergo wholesale changes, with at least six new members set to take office after the Nov. 3 election. The extended moratorium will give them a chance to weigh in on a contentious issue that has drawn intense public scrutiny.

Views on the issue don’t divide neatly along party lines. Both Republican and Democratic candidates have publicly supported continuing the pause, while others have called for bans.

Shawn McIntosh, a Democrat running against Mangione to represent North County’s District 5, said she favors a ban because it puts the onus on the industry, rather than local governments, to address concerns about data centers.

“If data center companies want to operate in Baltimore County, they should have to develop better technology and demonstrate that these facilities can be built without consuming disproportionate amounts of electricity, water, and land,” McIntosh said at a hearing last week. “If they do, we can reconsider.”

Where the county executive candidates stand

The two candidates running for Baltimore County’s top office said in interviews that they support the moratorium extension, rather than a ban.

Democrat Julian Jones, a Woodstock council member, co-sponsored the moratorium bill, citing widespread public opposition to data centers. He said a ban could tie the hands of future administrations.

“I’ve heard from citizens from all different parts of the county, and what I heard loud and clear is that they overwhelmingly do not support data centers,” Jones said. “So I support the moratorium, and I don’t support any data centers.”

Republican Pat Dyer said a longer moratorium gives the county time to consider regulations and environmental protections.

“I am not opposed to data centers, per se, because I think they can provide tremendous potential for our area,” Dyer said. “However, the control has to reside within neighborhoods and the communities.”

A new report lays out guardrails

The county planning board approved a data center study last week that recommends stricter oversight of the tech facilities and provides lawmakers a roadmap for regulating them.

The report recommends prohibiting data centers on agricultural land, within 750 feet of homes, and in areas outside the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line. In communities the state classifies as overburdened or underserved, proposals would require case-by-case review by an administrative law judge.

The report also suggests requiring developers to minimize water use, making data centers ineligible for financial incentives, and prohibiting by-right approvals of the tech facilities.

The work group that drafted the report stopped short of recommending a ban, saying it did not have the authority to do so. Instead, it sought to balance data centers’ economic benefits with concerns about water use, energy consumption and environmental impacts.

Waiting on the state to weigh in

Council member David Marks, who introduced the moratorium bill along with Council Chair Mike Ertel, said the extension allows the county to wait for the state to weigh in on data centers.

Maryland lawmakers could consider a statewide moratorium — New York and Texas have taken that step. If enacted, a move like that could extend Baltimore County’s pause beyond its current end in 2027.

“We want to see what the Maryland General Assembly is going to do first, and we’ll act accordingly,” said Marks, an Upper Falls Republican.

The data center issue is expected to draw significant attention when lawmakers return to Annapolis in January for the next legislative session. Gov. Wes Moore has recently signaled a greater willingness to support restrictions on the tech facilities, telling Punchbowl News last week that he would sign a statewide moratorium if one reached his desk.

The governor also announced Wednesday morning that he has established a task force to help steer the state’s data center decision-making and created a dashboard for tracking projects across the state.

A skeptical public

A fierce grassroots backlash against data centers has erupted across the country, and Baltimore County is no exception.

The planning board’s public hearings on data centers in May and September drew standing-room-only crowds and hours of public comment. Dozens also spoke out against data centers at the council’s Sept. 15 work session — among them environmental activists, faith leaders, community organizers, and a high school student.

Many data center opponents have said the county’s moratorium doesn’t go far enough and are pressing lawmakers to enact a permanent ban like the one in neighboring Harford County.

Though a ban isn’t on the table in Baltimore County yet, the mounting uproar has at least turned data centers into a volatile election-year issue. With Tuesday’s move, lawmakers have approved a pause on the tech facilities for the second time in eight months.