On Friday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich signed an executive order directing the Department of Permitting Services to immediately pause the acceptance, processing and consideration of permit applications for new data centers.
The six-month moratorium is intended to give the County Council time to finalize legislation governing data center development and applies to all proposed projects, including the planned data center at the site of the decommissioned power plant in Dickerson.
County officials said the pause is intended to address concerns about the impacts of data centers, including energy consumption, water use, noise and effects on nearby communities. The moratorium could end earlier if the County Council adopts permanent zoning regulations for data centers. Several county leaders, including Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe, Councilmembers Will Jawando and Kristin Mink, voiced support for the temporary pause while the County considers standards related to environmental impacts, infrastructure demands and community protections.
