A Big Week for Data Centers in MoCo - Why We Urge a Moratorium
The short version: IHHAAC Board reposts MoCo Alliance's push for a Montgomery County data center moratorium ahead of a Feb. 24 zoning hearing, and we think that pause is overdue.
Our Take
Credit to the IHHAAC Board for reposting MoCo Alliance's call to hit pause on data centers in Montgomery County, Maryland. The ask is simple: freeze new approvals via a moratorium until the county actually writes rules covering water use, grid strain, equity, and public health, rather than letting a zoning text amendment (ZTA) fast-track construction first and figure out the consequences later.
This is the pattern we track everywhere: a ZTA or ordinance change quietly rewrites what's allowed by-right on a parcel, a hearing gets scheduled, and unless residents show up, the buildout proceeds on the industry's timeline, not the community's. Once substations are sited, transformers ordered, and water agreements inked, there's little leverage left to negotiate who pays for grid upgrades or whether a facility's backup generators and cooling draw get scrutinized before, not after, they're built.
If you're in Montgomery County, the Feb. 24 hearing is the moment that matters — testify or send a letter through the links in the video description. For everyone else, check our facility map to see if this fight is already coming to your county, and visit our take-action page for tools to push your own local officials toward transparency before the deals get signed.
This is GridWatch the USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of IHHAAC Board, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.