Maryland Candidates' Data Center Pledge
What is the Clean-Energy Data Center Pledge?
Data centers provide Marylanders with the vital information services that power much of our lives. However, the rapid growth of such centers, triggered by expanded use of AI technology, is consuming vital resources and driving up costs — triggering negative consumer and environmental impacts. Especially concerning is the potential impact of data centers to roll back years of progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, restoring communities that have been harmed by fossil fuel pollution, and expanding clean energy in the state.
Unless all new data centers – those now seeking regulatory approval and all those yet to come – are powered with 100% clean energy, Maryland’s climate and environmental justice goals will become unachievable. For example, a single data center now proposed for Charles County and proposed to run on electricity from a new one-gigawatt gas plant would generate three million tons of CO2 per year. Similar pollution could come from proposed data centers in Montgomery, Frederick, and Prince George’s Counties. Our state could very quickly be swamped with a tidal wave of new air and climate pollution.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the undersigned candidates pledge their support of the following principle:
“Requiring all future data centers not yet constructed in Maryland to be powered with 100% clean energy, including possible combinations of solar, wind, battery storage, energy efficiency, and demand response.”
Did YOUR Candidate Sign the Pledge?
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund’s primary electoral work this season is ensuring every candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate is educated on our key issues and provides their stance on those issues.
We applaud these candidates and thank them for being climate leaders in Maryland:
Senate
3 | Lewis Young, Karen
4 | Westdorp, Lara
16 | Bartolo, Lou James
17 | Cook, Philip
23 | Ahmed, Raaheela
24 | Ford, Jr., Kevin
25 | Charles, Nick
26 | Muse., Anthony C.
27 | Fowler, Jason T.
27 | Harris, Kevin
28 | Wilson, C. T.
28 | Corbin, Aaron
29 | Borges, Chuck
32 | Chang, Mark S.
32 |Tillett, Stephen A.
37 | Clendaniel, Katie
39 | Mukunda, Amar
39| West, Destiny Drake
41 | Attar, Dalya
41 | Ruff, Malcolm
46| LaPin, Bobby
House Of Delegates:
1A | Jobe, Jason
2A | Leonard, John D.
4 | Donald, Jerry
4 | Duck, Andrew
4 | Stanley, Alleria
5 | Bergman, Dayana
5 | Rudolph, Allison
6 | Metzgar, Ric
7A | Brown, Ly Xinzhen
7B | Hart, Candace
8 | Riemer, Steven
9A | Wu, Chao
23 | Taylor, Kym
24 | Fletcher Harrison, Andrea
24 | Fraser, Stanford
24 | Ward, LaTasha
25 | Angel, Angela
25 | Roberson, Kent
25 | Thompson, Antoine
9B | Matin, Abdun
9B| Watson, Courtney
11B | Stein, Dana
12A | Feldmark, Jessica
12A | Heard, Joshua
12B | Brannock, Blair L.
13 | Guzzone, Pam
13 | Moreno, Gabriel
14 | Contreras-Donello, Alicia
15 | Foley, Linda
15 | Qi, Lily
16 | Korman, Marc
16 | Wolek, Sarah
16 | Woorman,Teresa
17 | Palakovich Carr, Julie
17 | Reed, Christopher S.
17 | Vogel, Joe
18 | Stein, Kate
19 | Johnson, Sebastian
19 | Sorrel, Gabriel
19 | Tichy, Christa
19 | Dasgupta, Sunil
20 | Charkoudian, Lorig
20 | Wilkins, Jheanelle
22 | Gant, Tracy
22 | Hayes, Craig
22 | Martinez, Ashanti
22 | McKee-Seabrook, Molly
23 | Bance, Michael
26 | Woods, Jamila
27A | Crosby Jr., Clifton
27A | Maldonn, Shawn
27A | Moore, Yonelle Lee
27 B | Jones, Rachel R.
27B | Thomas, Dan
28 | Davis, Debra
28 | Smith, Evan
29A | Clancy, Jennifer Lynn
29C | Abney, J.W.
29C | Watts, Shaara
30 | O’Neal, Bradley
30A | Behler, Dylan
31 | Barone Cole, Joan
31 | Buchanan Schmidt, Heidi
32 | Dixon, Spenser
32| Rogers, Mike
33B | Schmidt, Jr., Stuart M.
34A | Johnson, Jr., Andre V.
35A | Eckels, Jr., Michael A.
35B | Oluwadare, Blessing T.
36 | Ravert, Michelle
37B | Johnson, Michele W.
38B | Hastings, Josh
39 | Wu, Robert T.
40 | Parker, Crystal Jackson
41 | Rosenberg, S. I. “Sandy”
41 | Muldrow, Adrian
41 | Turner, Ryan
42B | Guyton, Michele
43A | Boyce, Regina T.
44A | Ebersole, Eric
44B | McCaskill, Aletheia
44B | Ruth, Sheila
45 | Young, Caylin
47A | Fennell, Diana M.
47B | Taveras, Deni
DATA CENTERS: Bring Your Own Clean Energy
The rapid, unrestrained development of data centers in the state represents a threat to ratepayers, communities, climate progress, our energy grid, Maryland jobs, ecosystems, and our precious water resources. However, Big Tech’s data center build out does not have to proceed in such an aggressive and irresponsible manner. CCAN AF believes that the most important guardrail our state can adopt is to require that all data centers built in the state MUST bring their own clean energy – a mix of solar, wind, battery storage, demand response, and distributed energy efficiency. We view this standard as the floor for data center regulation and not the ceiling. Therefore, we are working across the state with on-the-ground stakeholders to support additional data center reforms including water restrictions, noise limits, moratoriums and bans where appropriate, and additional siting restrictions.
It's Not Too Late: Ask Your Candidates To Sign The Pledge!
Thank you to our partners at Third Act for supporting the work of collecting pledge signatories! Their tireless efforts are helping to empower climate champions across the state and educate voters on our shared priority issues!
Resources
For more information, please contact:
Brittany Baker, Maryland Director, CCAN Action Fund
