Prince George’s County Council passes two-year moratorium on data center development

By AFRO Intern Team

Members of the Prince George’s County Council voted July 7 to approve a two-year moratorium on new data center development, with supporters citing environmental concerns and a lack of information about the facilities’ long-term impacts.

The moratorium extends previous actions from 2025 taken by the council as officials continue to evaluate how data centers could affect the county.

Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said residents have made their position clear during months of public discussion.

“I think the community has spoken loud and clear,” Oriadha said in the public meeting. “I think they’ve made it very clear that they don’t want to see a data center here in Prince George’s County.”

Several council members said unanswered questions about the industry justified delaying future development.

“There are too many unanswered questions,” Council Member Wala Blegay (D-District 6) said to Maryland Matters. “I did serve on the qualified data center task force, and what I found from it was unanswered questions. How does it impact our water? We don’t know. We don’t have all of the answers.”

Council Member Sydney Harrison (D-District 9), who said he supports expanding the county’s tax base, argued that more research is needed before allowing large-scale data center development.

“I am a proponent of diversifying our tax base,” Harrison said. “Neighboring jurisdictions with over 200 data centers derive more than 42 percent of their local tax base from these facilities. I’ve observed the construction of these data centers in close proximity to residential and commercial areas. The long-term impacts of these data centers, particularly over the next two decades, have not been fully vetted or understood yet.”

Others urged the council to shorten the proposed timeline, arguing that a lengthy pause could discourage investment.

“While we agree that thoughtful planning and responsible development should be the hierarchy, a two-year moratorium is too long,” Alexander Austin, representing Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, told the council.

The measure ultimately passed despite the opposition. Council member Tim Adams cast the only vote against the moratorium, citing the period of two years as too long, while three other council members abstained from voting. 

AFRO interns Morgan Carpenter; Andrew Hall; Briannia Robinson and Makayla Walker contributed to this article.

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