‘The urgency is real’: Glass introduces bill to halt data center permits

Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) on Tuesday introduced a bill to temporarily pause the development of data centers in the county, including a project in Dickerson that already is pending final approval. 

During a Tuesday press conference at the council office building in Rockville, Glass cited county residents’ concerns about the potential environmental impacts of future data centers — specifically, a 360-megawatt campus proposed at the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Dickerson — as a driving force behind his decision to push for a moratorium. 

“The urgency is real. Our climate is on the line, the cost of utilities are on the line, and these decisions are irreversible,” Glass said. “We have to be very prudent in how we move forward.” 

Glass’ bill would prevent the county’s Department of Permitting from accepting, reviewing or issuing building or grading permits for data centers projects for a period of six months. The clock on the moratorium would start as soon as the bill takes effect. 

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