Dozens of residents turned out for rally and hearing to voice concerns over energy, water, and noise impacts and call for halt in data center development

CHARLES COUNTY, MD – The Charles County Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday, June 1, to recommend rejecting a proposed zoning amendment that would set conditions for data center development. The decision came after a nearly four-hour hearing on Zoning Text Amendment 25-187, which would establish where and how data centers could be built in the county. The proposal will now return to the Board of County Commissioners for a final vote. 

“There is a rush to build data centers around the country, including in Charles County,” said Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Executive Director of Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health. “We’ve seen how inequities in planning, zoning, and development have created sacrifice zones. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past and create digital sacrifice zones in communities already disproportionately impacted by industrial hazards. It’s important that the voices of concerned residents are not just heard but listened to in this debate. That’s environmental justice.”

Before the hearing, dozens of advocates and community members gathered in front of the government building in La Plata, urging the Planning Commission to block data center development in Charles County. Several advocates spoke at the rally about the devastating impacts of hyperscale data centers that are happening across the country.

“The proposed TeraWulf project at the Morgantown power plant site is one of the most aggressive and energy-intensive data centers proposed in the state,” said Lauren Gygax, Maryland Program Associate at CCAN Action Fund “Terawulf, a crypto mining company, wants to turn a  decommissioned coal plant into a new gas plant, which will spew 3 million tons of climate-warming pollution into our atmosphere every year.”

“From the Patuxent to the Potomac, everyone and everything in Charles County deserves a habitable community,” said Dr. Janette Wysocki, Calvert County Environmental Commission. “Data centers don’t belong in Southern Maryland’s unique ecosystem.”

More than 50 community members spoke during the hearing, raising concerns about rising energy prices, noise pollution, and water usage. Vice Chair Jeffrey Bossart made the motion to recommend rejecting the zoning amendment, citing the need for further review on key issues, including size limitations, decommissioning, environmental analysis, and community benefit agreements. This is the second time that the Planning Commission has denied the proposed amendment from the County Commission because of a need for significant improvements. 

“Charles County cannot afford to sacrifice our invaluable natural resources, strained energy grid, and local watersheds for dirty, high-consumption data centers,” said Tina Wilson, President of the Port Tobacco River Conservancy. “A decision of this magnitude requires absolute transparency and rigorous, independent protections — not a rushed process that puts special interests ahead of our community’s future.”

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.