Montgomery County Council members got a chance to hear what the public has to say on proposals to suspend permits allowing data centers.
One bill, sponsored by County Council Member Evan Glass, proposes a six-month moratorium on permits for the controversial facilities.
A competing bill from Council Member Will Jawando and co-sponsored by Council Member Kristin Mink, would impose a two-year moratorium.
Glass and Jawando are both running for county executive.
At Wednesday’s county council meeting, dozens of people signed up to offer their comments on one or both bills.
Darian Unger, a Howard University professor and chair of the Montgomery County Sierra Club, urged the council to pause to study the potential impacts of data centers. Data centers could, he said, help “save the world” if AI can develop clean energy and new medical cures.
But it’s possible the data center proposed for Montgomery County’s agricultural reserve in Dickerson could turn out to be “an enormous electricity-price-hiking, water-stealing pollution-emitting energy hog.”
Jeff Ferrell introduced himself as the senior vice president and owner representative of Terra Energy, which owns the property where Atmosphere Data Centers hopes to develop the center.
Ferrell told the council, “We share all of the concerns that you have: energy consumption, water withdrawal, discharge, noise, vibration, view shed, proximity to residential and agricultural properties.”
“We don’t come here to push back on those concerns. We come here because we believe, genuinely, we are addressing them,” he added.
While residents and business owners testified, some in the county council audience held up signs reading, “AI won’t pay my electric bills,” a reference to concerns over the possible impact data centers could have on the grid.
Cheryl Gannon, with the Montgomery County Civic Federation, told the council, “Significant pause is needed to deal with very complex issues, some of which are under the purview of state or federal regulators.”
Gannon favors Jawando’s bill: “We need this two-year moratorium to get this right for the future of the county.”
Angela Franco, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, said instead of holding off on issuing permits, the county should establish a regulatory framework “that allows it to remain competitive in attracting responsible data center development.”
Data centers, she said, “provide the critical digital infrastructure that supports high-growth sectors, such as cybersecurity, life sciences, artificial intelligence and advanced computing.”
Lamar Mutts, with the Eastern Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, told the council not to delay issuing permits.
“Data center construction creates thousands of hours of work for skilled tradespeople,” he said. “These are family-sustaining jobs that allow workers to build careers, support their families, purchase homes and contribute to local communities.”
Prabu Selvam, an emergency room physician and an at-large candidate for the Montgomery County Council, urged the council to reject data centers altogether.
“At some point, we need to stop delaying the decision and make one. If it were my decision, no new data centers in Montgomery County,” Selvam said. “Just because a data center might be built somewhere doesn’t mean it needs to be built here.”
A date for work sessions on the two bills has not been set yet.
Montgomery County currently has a six-month moratorium on issuing permits for data centers as a result of an executive order signed by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
