Prince George's County Passes 2-Year Data Center

What did Prince George's County just vote to do?

The Prince George's County Council voted Tuesday to impose a two-year moratorium on new hyperscale data center development. The resolution prohibits the county's planning department from considering or approving data center applications — either until two years pass or until the council enacts permanent legislation, whichever comes first.

Seven council members voted in favor. One member, Tim Adams, voted no, primarily over the two-year length. Three members were not present for the vote, according to The Banner's reporting on the moratorium.

Who sponsored the moratorium?

Council Chair Krystal Oriadha and Councilmember Tom Dernoga co-sponsored the resolution. Oriadha said she personally supports a full ban on data centers. She framed the moratorium as a compromise that keeps the zoning process paused while council members continue discussions.

"It's important we continue to have those conversations," Oriadha said at Tuesday's meeting. "I think this moratorium is a compromise that allows that to happen."

Oriadha also noted that if the council passes comprehensive legislation, the moratorium lifts automatically. "The onus is on us," she said.

What arguments did council members make?

The debate before the vote ran roughly 30 minutes among council members, following nearly an hour of public testimony, according to Maryland Matters.

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Councilmember Wala Blegay cited unresolved questions from her time on a qualified data center task force. "How does it impact our water? We don't know. We don't have all of the answers," she said.

Councilmember Sydney Harrison acknowledged the revenue case for data centers. He pointed out that neighboring jurisdictions with over 200 data centers draw more than 42% of their local tax base from those facilities. Still, Harrison said the long-term health, environmental, and utility impacts have not been fully studied. He argued that any approval of new data centers must account for energy consumption and called for a community benefit task force.

"I believe the county sets the rules, not the data center companies," Harrison said.

Who opposed the moratorium or pushed back?

Not everyone at Tuesday's meeting supported the two-year pause. A coalition of more than two dozen data center supporters attended, wearing neon green shirts and hats. They testified about jobs and economic impact, then left the hearing before it ended.

Alexander Austin, president and CEO of the Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce, asked the council to shorten the moratorium's duration. "You have spent an enormous amount of time studying the issue," he said. "A two-year moratorium is too long."

Council member Tim Adams voted no on the final resolution, also citing the two-year length as his primary objection.

How does this fit the broader Maryland picture?

Here's what we know so far: Prince George's County is the latest Maryland jurisdiction to restrict data center development. Montgomery and Frederick counties had already passed similar measures before Tuesday's vote.

The moratorium is an extension of previous council actions. The county had already moved to pause data center development in an earlier step, making Tuesday's vote a continuation of that effort rather than a first move.

Oriadha pointed specifically to a data center project proposed for the old Landover Mall site as an example of a project she considers harmful and that the county is trying to stop.

Councilmember Shayla Adams-Stafford is working on a permanent bill to address data centers. Oriadha said those bills will be heard later this year.

Key facts at a glance

The debate over data center energy consumption is playing out at the local government level, not just in the tech industry. The same infrastructure questions around power and chip supply chains that shape decisions at companies like Nvidia and Apple are now landing on county council agendas. And as AI hardware demand continues to push data center construction outward from traditional hubs, communities like Prince George's County are writing the rules before projects break ground.

Councilmember Adams-Stafford's permanent legislation is expected to be heard by the council later this year. If that bill passes, it would lift the moratorium ahead of the two-year deadline.