HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — The Harford County Council approved a bill 7-0 Tuesday night that prohibits data centers from all zoning districts in the county.
Harford County Council unanimously votes to ban data centers
Dozens of residents packed the chambers wearing green, with so many people showing up that the room hit capacity. Forty-six speakers addressed the council both for and against the ban, with overflow crowds waiting outside chambers.
Council President Patrick Vincenti called the vote a no-brainer.
Supporters of the ban raised concerns about energy consumption, water usage, and the long-term consequences of placing industrial facilities in the community.
"We're essentially leading the state right now and the country. This fight is going on in every county and every state in this country, and this is what people want," said Bryan Cornell of Our Land Our Home Our Harford.
Others warned the ban could block the county from opportunities and have unintended consequences.
"The TVs you have on go through a data center at some point. If we ban all data centers, we're relying on the other counties and states around us to supply that to us in perpetuity," a speaker said.
Some are in favor of limiting data centers, but raised concerns about the language of the bill, warning it may be too broad.
"Because with the wrong terminology, you're going to be shutting a lot down that shouldn't be, and we're going to have to come back and open this thing up," Maryland Senator JB Jennings said.
Council members said they are open to amending some of the language in the future, but wanted to make sure this ban made it through on Tuesday night.
The Maryland Tech Council, which did a presentation on data centers at a county council meeting on April 14, responded to the ban in a statement sent to WMAR-2 News.
"Bill 26-011 is vague, legally dubious, and forecloses a generational economic opportunity rather than regulating an industry on reasonable terms set by the county. Further, the legislative process consistently ignored facts demonstrating that many concerns about data centers are misunderstood or vastly overstated," a spokesperson wrote.
The statement says the decision raises constitutional questions and opens the county up to lawsuits.
"We encourage Harford County policymakers to consider this kind of approach and to base their work on objective facts and constructive dialogue. We stand ready to serve as a resource to the county in that conversation," a spokesperson wrote.
Jennings said the issue will likely be addressed in Annapolis next session, and community members said they plan to be there.
"We're not done; this is phase 1. We're gonna catch our breath, regroup, and get ready for what we need to do on the state level. I don't think you can protect the community and the people too much," Cornell said.
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