Strict Accountability and Regulation for Data Centers
Frederick County is ground zero for unprecedented data center expansion. While computing capacity powers our digital society, private technology conglomerates must not exploit our natural resources or offload their operational costs onto Maryland families. I approach this challenge with an unyielding community-first standard: if data centers want to be our neighbors, they must be GOOD neighbors. Being a good neighbor means operating sustainably, investing in our local community, funding their own infrastructure, and guaranteeing absolute ratepayer neutrality. I advocate for the core principles of the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 to ensure hyperscale data center operators fund every dollar of their transmission lines, substations, and grid upgrades.
I demand the completion and comprehensive review of the state data center impact study before supporting further legislative expansion. We must know the exact consequences for our environment, regional water reserves, and electrical grid. The PJM grid operator warns of severe capacity crunches, projecting massive demand spikes that threaten grid reliability. As a retired combat veteran on a fixed income, I refuse to let Maryland families and seniors pay higher monthly electric bills to subsidize corporate servers. If tech corporations require immense amounts of power, being a good neighbor means co-locating with new, dedicated clean power sources and building on-site battery storage systems rather than monopolizing public capacity.
Furthermore, we must implement stringent water regulations. Data centers utilizing evaporative cooling consume millions of gallons of water daily, threatening local drinking wells and the Potomac River watershed. I will sponsor legislation requiring closed-loop, water-free cooling systems and strictly banning construction over sensitive aquifers or prime agricultural soils. We should direct development toward brownfield sites, such as decommissioned industrial lots, rather than sacrificing rolling farmland. Additionally, facilities must rely on gas-free battery backup systems rather than thousands of polluting diesel generators that degrade our air quality and violate state climate goals.
Economic development must also lift the local workforce. Any developer receiving state enterprise zone tax credits or expedited permitting must execute Project Labor Agreements with our local building trades. Good corporate neighbors commit to our community by paying prevailing wages, maintaining comprehensive safety standards, and using local union plumbers, pipefitters, and electrical workers to build and service these facilities. We cannot allow out-of-state contractors to extract local wealth while leaving environmental degradation behind. Frederick County's environment, drinking water, and working families are not for sale to out-of-state tech corporations.