BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen announced a proposal today to pause new data centers across the city for one year.
WATCH: Baltimore City Council proposes a one-year pause on new data centers
Data centers are raising concerns in Baltimore, with council members arguing their growth is driving up energy bills.
Cohen said the moratorium would be an opportunity for leaders to study the technology and understand its long-term impacts on costs and the community.
"Our utility bills go up in no small part because we are paying for the strain that they take on the grid, and so I think it's appropriate and important that we take a time out and really think about what is the best and highest use, what is the best placement, um, and whether it's a technology that we want our city to have period," Cohen said.
Cohen also raised concerns about environmental impacts, including pollution and water usage.
Leaders want to make sure data center companies, not residents, are paying for the strain on the power grid.
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