Prince George’s County, Maryland, has enacted a two-year moratorium on new data center construction, marking one of the strictest restrictions on AI data centers in the Mid-Atlantic region.
NBC Washington reports that the Prince George’s County Council has voted to implement a comprehensive pause on data center development. The decision came following heated debate from residents and stakeholders on both sides of the issue during a public hearing.
The moratorium represents a significant policy shift as county officials grapple with concerns about the impact of data centers on local communities. However, the final resolution includes provisions that would allow the restriction to be lifted early if comprehensive legislation governing data center development is passed.
Opposition to the extended moratorium came from business interests, including the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, which advocated for a shorter six-month pause instead of the two-year period. “While we agree that thoughtful planning and responsible development should be the hierarchy, a two-year moratorium is too long,” said Alexander Austin with the chamber of commerce.
Supporters of the moratorium emphasized the need for thorough consideration of health, environmental, and energy concerns before allowing data center construction in the county. “A two-year moratorium gives us the opportunity to get our arms around this, ’cause this is a huge decision. It’s not a small decision,” said Herbert Jones with the South County Environmental Justice Coalition. “This is a huge decision that we have to make sure if we go down this road, we get it right.”
Council Chair Krystal Oriadha acknowledged the strong community sentiment against data centers, stating, “I think the community has spoken loud and clear. I think they’ve made it very clear that they don’t want to see a data center here in Prince George’s County.”
The council members themselves displayed divided opinions on the measure. Council Member Eric Olson supported the pause, saying, “We need to take this step back. We need to hit pause. We need to make sure that we’re doing things right.” However, Council Member Danielle Hunter expressed reservations about the approach, stating, “I feel a rush to judgment, a rush to make a decision on my behalf would be suicidal as a council member.”
An attempt to delay implementation of the moratorium failed during the proceedings. The council also modified the resolution to include an escape clause that would allow the moratorium to be lifted before the two-year period expires if appropriate regulatory framework legislation is enacted.
Proponents of data center development, many wearing matching neon green hats and shirts labeled “face the future,” argued that such facilities would bring economic benefits to the county. Several members of this group declined to answer questions about their organization or whether they had a coordinator. Supporters testified about potential financial advantages, with one member of the group noting, “A campus of this scale can generate tens of millions dollars in Prince George’s County tax revenue.”
In a related development, County Executive Aisha Braveboy took separate executive action on the issue. Officials from her administration announced that she had signed an executive order temporarily halting all permitting applications for data centers through September. This executive order affects projects currently in the approval process, including a proposed data center planned for the site of the former Landover Mall.
Breitbart News previously reported that AI data center opponents have blocked or delayed projects worth $130 billion so far this year:
At least 75 projects worth about $130 billion have been blocked or delayed from January through March across the country as a result of data center opponents, according to a Data Center Watch study obtained by NBC News.
The authors of the study further noted that this hindering of AI data centers is the most on record in a three-month period since they began tracking the matter in 2023.
“The quarter reflected a structural shift rather than a cyclical spike: communities have internalized an opposition playbook, legislative sessions introduced formal regulatory uncertainty, and the number of active opposition groups more than doubled to 833 across 49 states,” the study read.
The placement of AI data centers has emerged as one of the major battlefields of artificial intelligence. Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall has written his instant bestseller Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI to serve as the definitive guide on how the MAGA movement can create positions on AI that benefit humanity without handing control of our nation to the leftists of Silicon Valley or allowing the Chinese to take over the world.
Read more at NBC Washington here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.