Cox Calls for Statewide Data Center Freeze and Permanent Ban on New Mega Campuses
Speaking in Adamstown, the Republican candidate for governor pledged an immediate construction moratorium and legislation banning new hyperscale campuses if elected.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Cox proposes a statewide construction moratorium followed by legislation banning new hyperscale and mega data center campuses. Moore has said he would sign statewide moratorium legislation while also emphasizing local decisions and conditions on development. Frederick County’s existing moratorium covers new data center applications and runs through July 1, 2027; it is separate from Cox’s proposed statewide construction freeze.
Maryland’s data center fight moved to the governor’s race Wednesday as Republican nominee Dan Cox pledged to halt construction statewide and seek a permanent ban on new hyperscale and mega data center campuses.
Cox made the announcement at a press conference in Adamstown near an approved campus, according to The Frederick News-Post. He said an immediate moratorium would be followed by legislation aimed at preventing new large-scale projects.
His proposals also include compliance reviews of projects already underway, repeated testing of potentially affected wells and measures addressing construction impacts. Cox said demonstrated harm should be corrected and damaged property restored, with compensation when liability is established. Those are campaign commitments; the announcement itself does not stop construction or establish violations.
Residents who spoke described what they said were worsening conditions around their homes. Hope Green cited lost peace and quiet and concerns about air, water and nighttime lighting. Gene Butler said the nearby campus was making it harder for his family to remain comfortable in the area.
Cox’s position represents a shift from his earlier support for the industry. In 2020, he sponsored legislation exempting data center equipment from Maryland sales and use taxes. He said the scale of today’s projects had changed his assessment.
Democratic incumbent Gov. Wes Moore has also signaled openness to a statewide pause. The News-Post reported that Moore told Punchbowl News in September he would sign moratorium legislation if lawmakers sent it to him in 2027, while maintaining that local jurisdictions should decide whether to permit projects.
Moore created a task force in September to examine new proposals and advise local governments. His campaign points to requirements involving local workers, community support and environmental protection. Moore previously backed a 2024 law streamlining the approval process for data centers’ backup generators.
Green Party candidate Andy Ellis favors a ban on new data centers, along with tighter regulation and higher taxes on existing facilities. Working Class Party candidate Cathy White has criticized the industry’s energy and water demands and questioned who benefits.
In Frederick County, Executive Jessica Fitzwater’s moratorium on new data center applications extends to July 1, 2027. Fitzwater says she would pursue a smaller overlay zone in a second term. Republican challenger Jeff Holtzinger supports limiting growth to projects that already have some level of approval.
The competing proposals put both the future of new campuses and the handling of existing projects before voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
WHAT IT MEANS
For Frederick County residents, the election could influence how Maryland approaches data center approvals, oversight and neighborhood impacts. The candidates’ positions describe different paths forward, but campaign promises alone do not change a project’s approval or construction status.
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