HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Data centers are now banned in Harford County after County Council members unanimously passed legislation Tuesday night, becoming the first county in Maryland to put a ban in place. County Executive Bob Cassilly signed it into law Wednesday.
“I would like to thank the citizens who came to last night’s public hearing and everyone who offered support for my legislation,” Cassilly said. “Together we are protecting Harford’s wonderful quality of life for our families and for future generations.”
“Harford County is not the place for data centers,” Harford County Council President Patrick Vincenti said.
ALSO READ | Harford County Residents Pushback on Data Center Proposal
While data centers were not previously allowed in Harford County, the legislation codifies a permanent prohibition. While many Maryland counties have put moratoriums or temporarily restrictions on data centers in place, Harford County is one of the first counties in the state to ban them.
“We’re just pleased that the community had an opportunity to speak for the last two months at these meetings, and, and they, they responded. So we’re very pleased and proud of our leadership here in the county,” Harford County resident Bryan Cornell said.
Dozens of people spoke out at the recent Harford County Council meeting.
This bill, thank God, puts brakes on that speeding train. The inappropriate placement of a huge industrial plant in our gorgeous neighborhood, is just an absurdity,” one Harford County resident said.
“There are very few high paying jobs per acre, which is one of the benefits touted. Construction jobs will likely be temporary, and it seems unlikely that electricians and other trades will all be local companies,” another resident said.
While many residents support a data center ban, others also voiced concerns about the legislation.
“Not every data center is the enemy. The enemy is the hyperscale AI data centers. That’s what we need to be against, and that’s what we’re all trying to prevent. But the language that’s in this bill does not define the difference. When a developer challenges this in court and they’re going to, a judge will ask Harford County to define what a data center is. And this bill will not have an answer. And that’s a vulnerability,” one resident pointed out.
This data center ban comes as Bill Vasilakopoulos, the owner of Mountain Branch Golf Course, was hoping to a build a data center for a next generation AI energy project on his property.
“I think this is a benefit for the county as well, and not just me and my family. This is a very thoughtful, highly engineered, next generation project, that will create its own power, not rely on the water system, both public and aquifer, will be able to have the capacity to create new energy generated here in Maryland to put back into the grid,” Vasilakopoulos previously said.
Instead of a ban, Vasilakopoulos was pushing for strict regulations managing data centers.
While he did not speak at the recent County Council meeting, he did sent officials a letter, which said in part, “the timing matters. County officials knew about the Mountain Branch proposal long before the original moratorium was discussed, and certainly before any permanent countywide ban was introduced.”
“A permanent countywide prohibition, adopted as emergency legislation without the County’s supporting studies in the public record, is not regulation. It is avoidance of the very factual review the public deserves,” his letter continued to say.
Local Story
