GOVERNOR VETOS DATA CENTER IMPACT STUDY BILL

4,500 Acres of Data Centers

Frederick County government recently announced its intention to spread a new 4,500-acre Data Center Industrial Zone across southern Frederick County. Only a handful of developers and industry insiders stand to profit from these changes, it is clear that all the people of Frederick County will suffer the ongoing costs.

These data center complexes will carry irreversible fiscal, environmental, and regulatory impacts. In addition, data center sprawl will permanently cement fundamental change in our county, our lands, our homes, and our daily lives.

Maryland, as a whole, will suffer harmful consequences as the state rushes to embrace a tidal wave of data centers, using Frederick County’s misguided approach as an example.

To read more about these issues surrounding data centers, please click here to download our document:

• Massive Scale

• Who pays to power the data centers? ALL electricity users

• Huge new power demands will require multiple new power lines, similar to MPRP

• Enormous cooling demands, limited water

• Blowing a hole in Frederick County Agricultural Preservation Plans

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Hey, neighbors in Adamstown, Buckeystown, and all across Frederick County!

Have you heard about the county’s latest plan to turn 4,500 acres around the old Eastalco site into a gigantic zone for data centers – those big tech buildings that store internet data? But this isn’t just about a few new buildings – it’s about our homes, our electric bills, our natural resources, our kids’ future, and the beautiful countryside we love. This data center plan is going to industrialize southern Frederick County forever, and it won’t stop there—the whole state of Maryland is next in line.

A Plan That’s Way Too Big

Remember the old Eastalco aluminum plant? It sat on just 200 acres, surrounded by an additional 2,000 acres of farms and woods that served as a buffer to keep our neighborhoods peaceful and protected.

Now, Quantum Loophole, along with some big developers, has plans to build data centers on 1,600 acres of that land. That’s already a huge jump, but Frederick County’s latest scheme goes even further.

Without even hearing citizen input that was promised in the county master plan, the County Council is proposing a 4,500-acre Data Center Zone expansion around the Eastalco, which could result in an industrial district 22 times larger than the old aluminum smelting operation. To put that in perspective, that’s bigger than Adamstown (700 acres) and Buckeystown (600 acres) combined!

They are even saying it’s okay to build 75-foot-tall data centers (equivalent to a 5–7 story building) just 200 feet (less than a football field) from any residences.

Your Electric Bill is Going Up

This new data center complex will need a ton of power—as much as the whole city of New York! To keep the machines running, new power generating plants and massive power lines will need to be built, and guess who’s stuck with the bill? Not the tech companies. It’s us, the residents of Frederick County and all across Maryland. The region’s electric company, called PJM, says data centers are already driving up power costs. That means higher electric bills for all of us.

PJM’s own internal analysis admits that “data center load growth is the primary reason for recent and expected capacity market conditions, including total forecast load growth, the tight supply and demand balance, and high prices.” The impact will be especially severe on hard-working Marylanders and those on fixed incomes, who will pay increased electric bills so that the data center industry can take in higher profits. How is it fair that we’re footing the bill to line the pockets of big tech?

Power Lines and Water Worries

Our Farms and Neighborhoods Are at Risk

For years, Frederick County and the state of Maryland have worked hard to support policies protecting our farmland and our rural legacy. This new plan throws that philosophy out the window by taking away protections from thousands of acres around Eastalco. Those green fields we all drive by and admire could soon be gone, replaced by concrete, steel, and diesel engine backup generators. That’s not just bad for farmers—it’s bad for all of us who love the clean air and open spaces that make our region special.

What This Means for Our Families

This 4,500-acre data center plan could change everything we love about living here. Our home values might drop, making it harder to sell or pass down to our children, our electric bills will go up, and our quiet, green neighborhoods could turn into an industrial zone. Our kids deserve to grow up with clean water, green fields, and a community that feels like home—not a tech park. This plan doesn’t just affect us here near Eastalco, where this part of the county won’t look like home anymore. It also sets a bad example for the rest of Maryland, where other towns will soon face the same threat.

Let's keep southern Frederick County our home, not a tech takeover.