This is being called " The Backroom Deal That Just Changed Maryland’s Data Center Landscape Forever" and needs your voice. 

From our partners at Sugarloaf Alliance:

Despite previously announcing a moratorium on further data center development the County Executive appears to have reversed course again and announced her support for a development rights and responsibilities agreement with Catellus, developer of the Quantum Frederick data center complex in Adamstown. If enacted, this agreement would prevent future county councils from reversing the data-center friendly policies enacted by the current county council. Its fictitious label as a community benefits agreement in the county’s releases doesn't change that it is a disastrous development rights and responsibilities agreement conditioned on developer rather than community benefits. Considering this agreement is an unacceptable end-run around the democratic process. The County is accepting public comments through a form until September 10th. No public hearing dates have been announced: The Planning Commission is required to determine whether the DRRA is consistent with the County's comprehensive plan before referring it to the County Council for possible further action. The Sugarloaf Alliance has sent comments on the proposed DRRA to the County Executive, Planning Commission, and County Council. 
What you can do: Submit comment through the form before September 10th, but don't limit yourself there. Contact the Office of the County Executive on social media and via email. Contact the Planning Commission. Contact the County Council. Share the issues on social media for those who are not aware of this quickly-evolving issue.

Much more background is provided by The Maryland Wire, reprinted here: 

The Catellus deal could not only affect Frederick County but the entire state.
https://www.themarylandwire.com/p/jessica-fitzwater-upsets-the-voters
Jessica Fitzwater Upsets the voters with DRRA
J. Barry O'Connell
Sep 03, 2026

The Backroom Deal That Just Changed Maryland’s Data Center Landscape Forever
If you’ve been following the multi-billion-dollar push to turn Western Maryland into Big Tech’s next mega-campus, you know the tension in Frederick County has been boiling for months.
First came the massive zoning expansions. Then came the petition drive—where over 21,000 residents signed their names to force a public referendum. Then came the high-stakes courtroom battle that ultimately stripped those voters of their ballot-box veto. And when County Executive Jessica Fitzwater announced a temporary pause on new data center applications through December, many thought the dust was finally settling, if only for a moment.
They were wrong.
Behind closed doors, the administration was finalizing a Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA)—a binding contract that locks in development terms, infrastructure promises, and zoning protections for decades.
To supporters, it’s marketed as a package of "community benefits" and millions in corporate investment. To critics, it’s a breathtaking end-run around the public—a backroom deal struck right after the courts shut the door on a voter referendum, exempting mega-projects like Quantum Frederick from the county’s own temporary pause.
This isn't just a fiery zoning dispute in a single county. It is a critical turning point for the entire state of Maryland.
Below the fold, we step inside to look at the hard mechanics of this deal—how DRRAs actually bind local governments, why this decision is sending shockwaves straight into Annapolis, and what it means for the grid, your electric bill, and the upcoming election cycle.
1. The Anatomy of a DRRA: Why This Isn't Just a "Local Zoning Deal"
A Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA) is one of the most powerful—and ironclad—legal instruments in Maryland land-use law.
When a county executive signs a DRRA, it essentially freezes existing development rules in place for up to 20 years. In exchange for local concessions (the "community benefits" PR package), the developer gets an unassailable guarantee: future county councils and future county executives cannot change the rules on them, even if local leadership changes in the next election.
By executing a DRRA for a mega-site like Quantum Frederick right now, the administration accomplishes three things simultaneously:
·        Bypasses the "Pause": While the public heard that data center approvals were on hold until late 2026, existing mega-projects were quietly insulated.
·        Neutrals Future Councils: Even if voters elect a slow-growth or anti-data-center council majority in the next cycle, the DRRA legally ties their hands.
·        Sets a Statewide Template: Developers in Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Charles counties are watching Frederick closely. If Frederick successfully normalizes 20-year DRRAs for Big Tech, it becomes the default playbook across Maryland.
2. The Energy Elephant: The MPRP and Ratepayer Risk
You cannot separate Frederick’s land-use decisions from the regional energy crisis. Northern Virginia is running out of reliable power, making Maryland the expansion valve for Big Tech’s AI infrastructure.
Data centers require colossal amounts of electricity, directly driving the push for controversial regional infrastructure like the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP)—the 500-kilovolt transmission line planned to slice through rural farmland.
When local leaders lock in DRRAs for gigawatt-scale campuses, they aren't just granting building permits; they are committing the state's energy grid to unprecedented load demands. With the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) set to issue its comprehensive Data Center Impact Report later this year, Annapolis lawmakers are watching with growing concern over who will ultimately bear the cost of grid upgrades: tech giants or Maryland utility ratepayers?
3. The Political Fallout: A Blueprint for the 2026/2027 Primaries
In local politics, timing is everything. Striking a long-term developer agreement immediately after a court ruling quashed a 21,000-signature referendum is political nitro.
It unites two constituencies that rarely share a stage:
·        Rural and Suburban Conservatives: Viewing the deal as an executive overreach that overrides property rights and local fiscal prudence.
·        Progressive Environmentalists: Organizers who view the energy requirements, carbon footprint, and land consumption as incompatible with state climate goals.
The phrase already echoing through community forums--"No elected official who supports this is fit for re-election"—is not idle hyperbole. It represents the early blueprint for primary challenges. Expect this DRRA to become a central litmus-test issue not only for Frederick County Council seats, but for state legislative races across Central and Western Maryland.
The Bottom Line
This is no longer a localized noise-and-setback debate. It is a masterclass in how executive leverage, massive capital, and infrastructure demands collide. How Frederick handles this agreement will define Maryland's political economy for the next decade.
 

A Producer with Purpose in a Place with Purpose 

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2026 Royce Hanson - Agricultural Reserve Champion Award recipient:  Nia Nyamweya of Beauty Blooms Farm. We first met Nia through her participation in MCA's Land Link program.  Paired in 2022 with small acreage in Barnesville, Nia grew African heritage heirloom crops, vegetables, and flowers. In her first year alone she supplied over 1000 pounds of produce to Montgomery County's Farm-to-Food-Bank program. She has since expanded production to 10 acres on occupied Piscataway territory in Patuxent River State Park and additionally has acquired her own land in Montgomery County that she is endeavoring to farm. The majority of her farm’s harvest supports local residents experiencing food insecurity. And Nia is giving voice to the challenges to the diverse next generation producers. 

Nia shares:

“I believe all people have a right to delicious, nutritious and culturally important food that’s affordable and grown locally.“

From the Beauty Blooms Site: 
"Nia Nyamweya is the founder and owner-operator of Beauty Blooms Farm, a low-till, small-scale, regenerative vegetable farm in Damascus, MD. She loves to celebrate cultural heritage through food by growing and sharing African heritage crops with the local community. Nia's dad and partner help her manage the farm. Nia is the first small-scale regenerative vegetable farmer to secure a 10-year lease from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Her work helped establish the Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program within the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act."

Press: 
Land Link Gets Its Close Up
Beauty Blooms Video (Montgomery County)
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What to do with our waste is a serious question to grapple with. We make so much to throw "away" but there is no such place as "away" that doesn't impact humans and our shared environment.  Our considerable waste has to go somewhere, there are less bad options. With the county's incinerator at the end of it's lifespan, now is an opportunity to switch to less harmful options. 
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The bottom line: for the last 30 years Montgomery County has been burning trash in an outdated facility that increasingly  has been leaking the world's most hazardous chemicals - Dioxin and Furans - which travel for miles. Then the ash is trucked to an overburdened community of color in Virginia. This has to stop, the question is how to handle our waste. 
MCA along with partners, particularly Sugarloaf Citizens Association, support closing of the incinerator. 

The MoCoDEP has released a poll asking if residents support closing the incinerator. Information about the chemical leaks is not offered. Can you take one minute and support both closing the incinerator and investing in an Advanced Waste Process (AWP) that culls food and recyclables out of the waste stream? 

The Montgomery County DEP has laid out options in their recent public webinar. A summary of the two options is here: 

Either way - increased waste reduction on the consumer end must happen and we continue to support zero waste efforts, particularly composting. DEP has made a commitment to a curbside composting system part of the transition away from the incinerator. Money is allocated by the Council and a facility exists in Dickerson for this purpose where large scale residential composting could be a reality in 2 years. 

You'll be hearing much more about this in the coming months. The Council President has said that public hearings will take place this fall and a vote on the incinerator's future will take place before Thanksgiving this year. 

For a much deeper dive, please visit our partners at Sugarloaf Citizens Association.  

The MoCo Board of Ed approved PFAS laden synthetic turf fields at Poolesville High School, right above the sole source aquifer, along with new plastic fields for several other schools. Now the Council has the opportunity to deny the funding requests, improve grass field management and save $40 Million in a particularly tough budget year.


And yet -the straw vote at the Council just came back 6-5 in favor of plastic turf.

With the budget speeding toward passage, the Council needs to hear from you. (We understand Councilmembers Friedson, Luedtke, Evans, Katz, Fani-Gonzalez and Sayles have voted in favor of plastic fields. This after Fani Gonzalez and Sayles had committed to not support plastic fields in a recent Sierra Club questionnaire. Your letter will go to all Councilmembers).

The hundreds writing into the Council to oppose plastic turf - among them student groups and the Coalition of County PTAs- are all getting the same response from Council President Fani-Gonzalez - the Council can't earmark how MCPS spends allocated funds. Good News - the Council CAN choose to allocate funds for the much cheaper proper upkeep of grass fields and deny the extra **$40 Million** MCPS needs to install these plastic carpets - all while protecting public health and the public purse.

Make the case to Councilmembers today - and thank you!

MCA is proud to be part of the Real Grass for Healthy Kids Coalition. Read our letter to the Council here. 

Montgomery County was one of the most recent of several Maryland Counties to enact data center moratoriums - a unanimous vote at the Council paused hyperscale data center permitting for 18 months in July. This first week of August saw Eastern Shore counties join in - with Caroline, Worcester, Dorchester and Wicomico all enacting pauses that impact the unincorporated areas of the counties and Federalsburg in Caroline County enacting a 3 year moratorium.

In the days before the MoCo vote, New York became the first in the nation to enact a state wide moratorium. With over half of our counties enacting pauses - why not Maryland? 

MCA is continuing to partner with and expand our broad coalition that successfully advocated for a pause in Montgomery County to urge  our state representatives to act. 

MCA was part of a letter with Food and Water Watch and 50 other groups statewide to state legislators. 

While we didn't get consideration of a moratorium in the special session earlier this month MCA and partners are meeting with leaders in Annapolis to gather support. Stay Tuned!
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Update: The County Council final vote on both the 18 Month Data Center Moratorium bill and the ZTA  on Tuesday 7/28 was 11-0 in favor of sweeping data center pauses. See the agenda with staff reports, bill texts and videos here. 

What Happened? 
Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González, Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles announced a multi-pronged approach on July 15th regarding data center legislation. Read more here.

In a nutshell - the 6 month (Glass) and two year (Jawando) moratoriums already proposed are being fast tracked while the proposed ZTA 26-01 that would have opened 2000 acres of the county to data centers will now get an amendment from its own sponsors defining hyperscale data centers and then prohibiting them in ALL zones - meant to clear up the lack of regulations we have now while proper regulations are crafted. 


To be clear, MCA and our partners support both a two year pause and the amended ZTA to allow time and space to first research and then craft strong standards for data centers.


How can you help?

It all goes down Thursday Wednesday the 22nd - Please join us if you can at one/both of these council committee worksessions with signs and your presence to push for a 2 year pause/the ZTA amendment that prohibits data centers. 

• 9:30am- The ECON Committee will take up both the 6-18 month* and 2 year moratorium bills. Whatever makes it out of committee will come up for a vote at the whole council on July 28th. An affirmative vote at full council on an expedited bill means they go into effect immediately. 
  * the 6 month bill has an amendment stretching it to 18 months see the staff report here. The 2 year bill has not been amended. 
  

• 1:30pm - The PHP Committee will hear an amendment to ZTA 26-01 that would define and then prohibit data centers. If approved, this reaches the Council on July 28th for a vote as well. 
  
  

• See exact schedule for July 22 on Council's website, as it may change.
• Location: Council Hearing Room on the 3rd Floor, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville.
• If you are not able to join us in person, watch the work session here.

 There is still time to contact your council member about the importance of a two year moratorium. 

We can't thank our supporters enough - this potential victory is because of all the folks who kept the pressure up. Time and again, this is how we come together to get it done - your support and action looks to have won the day.

Plus - A Statewide Moratorium? 
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Perhaps you saw that New York State just enacted a year pause on Data Centers- why not Maryland? The upcoming special session in Annapolis (Aug 3-5) is an opportunity to get a pause statewide. Take a moment to write your state senator with a letter tool from our partners at the MoCo Climate Coalition. 

By signing on as a party of record in the Dickerson Data Center Application, MCA has just been sent the permit application for water discharge from the MD Department of the Environment (MDE). This would be the water that flows back to the Potomac after being used to cool the computing equipment, water that many months of the year is treated with bleach and then neutralized before return to the River. 

The documents we received are here. ​Looks like an average of 443,000 gallons per day will be discharged to the River. 

We have a lot of questions. Luckily, the public is invited to a virtual hearing on this application on August 5th at 5:30pm. The more people that register and show up the better - however this is not an opportunity to speak.  
​

Through the hearing we would like to understand how an average of 443,000 gallons per day will be discharged when the water is supposed to be in a closed loop system. There are also real questions about what temperature the discharge water will be compared to the ambient river temperature. We just saw last week that high river temps can lead to dramatic fish kills - and it isn't even August yet. 

What questions do you have? Please register to join us if you can. Because there are so many lingering questions, we still really need a two year moratorium on data centers while the answers are found. When will the expedited moratorium bill get a committee assignment? There's another question. We have a letter writing tool to get your concerns to the Council quick.

We received an email newsletter this morning from the Council President reiterating a misunderstanding: 

The first part is true - there are no rules governing data centers but that is because the second part is false - they are not in the zoning code and as a result can not be sited in the County - yet. 

The Department  of Permitting Services sent guidance to the Planning Chair on June 12th -
​"Data Centers are not specifically listed in the Zoning Ordinance, do not fall within any listed use, and are not similar in impact, nature, function, and duration to any listed uses. Therefore, Data Centers are not currently approved uses in Montgomery County."
​

In fact, the proposed data center ZTA the Council President is co-sponsoring is not protecting us from Data Centers that can go anywhere - it is opening up the county to Data Centers that are currently a prohibited use and allowing them in all industrial zones (2000+ acres) - i.e- every Council district. 
​
And the ZTA is moving quickly - we've heard from Councilmembers that after a PHP committee hearing on July 22nd, they want to have a vote on the ZTA by October 31st. 

What is the rush? Hundreds of speakers and many thousands of emails from concerned residents have urged a meaningful pause of 2 years - like PG County just enacted, along with moratoriums in Baltimore City/County, Washington, Carrol, Howard, Queen Annes and an outright ban in Hartford County.

We understand that the State's study of Data Centers planned to be wrapped in September will now not be done till December. Why are we rushing ahead of hearing the results?  Troubling studies on the impacts of data centers and the health of our Potomac are stacking up (Infrasound - a new data center problem). Where is the cost- benefit analysis?

We want to be clear - MCA and our broad coalition insist that a 6 month pause is breathing room - there must now be no less than a two year pause to engage stakeholders and independent experts. There is no way to get this done before October. 

There is still time to write to the Councilmembers - please take a moment with our letter writing template to make your concerns heard. 

We were shocked to receive an email (huge thanks, Nadine!) with this Zillow link. 11 acres of farmland in Ashton, the Eastern County zoned RC (Rural Cluster) were being advertised as suitable for a data center or commercial solar. 
From the County code: "The intent of the RC zone is to provide designated areas of the County for a compatible mixture of agricultural uses and very low-density residential development, to promote agriculture, and to protect scenic and environmentally sensitive areas."

Can they do that? Yes and maybe. 

After a heartbreaking bill passed in Annapolis in 2025 and our coalition organized an unsucessful statewide ballot referendum effort, commercial solar and battery storage is allowed on even protected farmland and prime soils across the state (but notably not land encumbered with easements). 

Currently, data centers are not allowed for in the county code, but a ZTA (zoning text amendment) is moving forward to allow data centers of any size in all industrial zones - over 2000 acres of the county (see: A Data Center in Every Council District?). Montgomery County's planning board director has said that the proposal as written would allow 12 hyperscale data centers across the county. It is too early to say if data centers could be sited on farmland in our county - like they are in Virginia and many other places. But as evidenced here, the speculation has begun - locking up farmland that is needed for its intended purpose. 

Since this  Zillow listing was posted just two months ago, we've had 8 new applicants to our Land Link program - seasoned farmers seeking long term leases in the county. These 8 are seeking to join the 50+ farmers seeking land on the site. The majority of farmers in the program are farmers of color, a large portion are immigrants and almost all have plans to donate a substantial amount of their harvest to local food banks. 

This is one more reason we need a pause on data centers - not moving ahead until there are clear guidelines about where and how data centers can be sited. Our broad coalition is seeking strong regulations that protect air, water, farmland and our climate. A two year moratorium is the way to get there with transparency and resident engagement. 

We are hearing from councilmembers that the ZTA could have a vote by October of this year. That is simply not enough time to craft responsible policies. 

Take a moment to write your councilmembers in support of a two year moratorium. 

Outsized water and power needs are the headline issues for data centers but less discussed is the constant droning noise of pumps and fans to keep the equipment running 24-7 - different from other uses in industrial zones that do not operate overnight. 

They type of noise is different too - infrasound is a lower frequency hum than noise ordinances are designed to guard against. This type of noise is "felt more than heard" causing vertigo, sleeplessness and nausea.  This type of sound also travels a lot further than higher frequencies - making the impacts of data centers measureable in miles, not feet. 

The noise ordinances in Montgomery County are meant to stop loud parties and put reasonable hours on construction noise. It is a complaint based system. A complaint against a billion dollar project once built will not likely shut it down. They are not up to the challenge of protecting residents against data center noise. 

From the New York Times: 
"Some of the noise consists of infrasound, ultralow frequency sound waves that fall below the threshold of human hearing.Instead of audibly hearing these extremely low frequencies, people physically feel them as pressure fluctuations, much like the deep vibration of a bass drum shaking your core at a concert, said Scott Hamilton, a member of the Acoustical Society of America and a consultant on data center projects.
This can leave the traditional gauges of noise, and solutions for dampening it, inadequate to meet modern needs."

This is just the sort of issue the council needs time to understand and react to by crafting strong regulations that deal with this completely novel type of development. That's why MCA along with 30+ other local civic groups support a two year moratorium. Please take a moment before the hearing record closes to write in support. 
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Thanks to all those that showed up /testified at the 6/16 hearing. You can view the video of all 80 speakers on data centers here. 

​Here is MCA's testimony
​
We've selected some choice testimony to highlight: 

From Dick Thoms, a retired cooling system engineer:
"Montgomery County is being asked to permit an unregulated facility that is a massive and environmentally risky Industrial use, without the information needed to assess the risks.
In Dickerson, the developer is actively suppressing public and expert input to the permitting process by the use of unnecessary NDAs. This permit process is:
• without the benefit of expert assessment of risks,
• without the time to develop appropriate risk mitigation regulations,
• and without meaningful public input regarding the impact of the risks involved.
Further, the developer is likely unable to dictate to his client - a firm such as Amazon or Microsoft or Disney - what type of Data Center mechanical systems to use.
Given that the proposed data center project design will ultimately be published to the construction industry in order to solicit multiple bids, it is obvious that the NDAs are more about constraining the permit process than protecting proprietary design information."

From Leslie Saville, Retired MoCo Planner

"I am not an expert on data centers, but in reviewing the Dickerson application and our zoning ordinance, I can see that we are not prepared to assess and manage their negative impacts on our communities.
Issues that I see include noise impacts not captured by our noise ordinance, power usage, backup power impacts, C&O Canal user impacts (primarily noise and vibrations), and water usage. We need to thoughtfully establish conditional use standards, and create enforcement mechanisms through regulations. DPS, DEP and planning staff can provide excellent technical advice on the known negative impacts of this use. A complete fiscal analysis must be provided to Council. The costs AND the benefits should be entirely on the table for the public to see."


We want to thank our stalwart partners from the MoCo Climate Coalition, Food and Water Watch, the Democratic Socialists of America MoCo, MoCo Sierra Club and Sugarloaf Citizens Association - all working together in your interest toward the best outcome. 

Since 2023 when we first heard of this data center project we have worked to find out more information. The plans submitted to the planning department are encumbered with a number of NDAs making fact finding difficult.  The email asks, 'What are we so worried about?" Here are a few things: 

Water: 

• Atmosphere will only withdraw water from the River when the ambient temperature exceeds 75 degrees and lose 67% of it to evaporation or other loss - the summer months are when the river is at its lowest and existing data centers across the watershed are already using 12% of the Potomac during the summer months. The Interstate Commission on the Potomac is sounding the alarm about data center water use throughout the region increasing drought frequency and severity. 
• The Potomac was just named "the nations most endangered river" siting rapid data center growth in the watershed.
• The water will be cycled multiple times through the system and amended with bleach as a biocide. Bleach will be made and stored on site above the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer - the only source of water for one third of the county. 

Atmosphere’s Track Record On the Environment:

• Atmosphere has not yet gained permits or constructed any Data Centers, Dickerson would be their first. Their website lists potential projects in South Carolina, Nashville, and Kansas City.

Climate Goals: 

• This massive power consuming industry presents a real challenge to the county's climate change goal of achieving carbon neutral by 2035. 
  

Noise: 

• Data Centers have become synonymous with noise impacts - the cooling fans and pumps plus generators emit a low background hum around the clock that interrupts sleep and has other health impacts. Recently, reports of lower frequency “infrasound” that is felt rather than heard detail major health impacts like chronic nausea and vertigo. This low frequency vibration noise pollution is not addressed by current county noise ordinances. 
  ​

Power Rate Issues: 

• The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel has raised the alarm that Marylanders are on the hook for $2 Billion in increased power rates from data centers built in neighboring states. 
• Regional grid operator PJM has advised leaders that data center demand will lead to black outs and brown outs by 2027.
• ​The Dickerson data center project will be bringing none of its own power and instead rely entirely on the grid to meet its 360 MW needs (300,000 homes) and use 149 diesel generators for back up power, tested monthly. A study out of GMU has found that diesel exhaust makes living next to a data center less healthy than living close to a gas plant.

Thanks to all the candidates who took the time to share their views on the issues impacting the Ag Reserve and our broader county. 
(see our press release here)
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While MCA's is not the only survey by far, this is a unique opportunity to ask the questions about upcounty concerns. Care to hop in the time machine? 2022 surveys are here.

The primary election is coming up fast:
Early Voting - Thursday, June 11, 2026 through Thursday, June 18, 2026
Election Day - Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Check the Board of Elections for more info about polling places, mail in voting and more. 

Below are all the candidates running for each office. Please click the highlighted names below to see the surveys that were filled in by the deadline.  * = incumbent ^= participating in public financing (may or may not have reached quota for support. We rely on this public data.) 

You may also want to take a look at the candidate profiles available at League of Women Voters

Land Link coordinator Kristina was thrilled to discuss MoCo Land Link with farm service folks at the Land Transfer Forum Mid Atlantic. The presentation slides are here, video below. 
Other Land Linking portals discussed: 
MD FarmLink 
PA FarmLink

Here is a breakdown of Industrial areas (Light, Medium and Heavy - all could host data centers in the ZTA) in each Council district.  

A series of maps showing the locations of industrial zones in each district was put together by Karen Metchis - and we thank her!

As we do each election year, MCA has crafted questions to put to the candidates seeking to represent Montgomery County at the local and state level. We gather and post the unedited responses as a voters resource. 

Thanks to all that responded to our survey earlier this year on what issues you wanted to hear about. The top issues were transparency in governance and land use, data centers and water protection. You can see the questions we asked here. 

The questionnaires are now out to candidates. We have given the candidates a few weeks to answer the questions and will post the unedited results here around May 20th. We know ours is one of many questionnaires to complete and thank the candidates for their responses. 

The primary election is coming up fast:
Early Voting - Thursday, June 11, 2026 through Thursday, June 18, 2026
Election Day - Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Check the Board of Elections for more info about polling places, mail in voting and more. 

Care to hop in the time machine?  Here are the 2022 responses. 

Check out our most recent newsletter to for three quick actions to celebrate Earth Month. 
Your voice is needed to: 
- Close the Dickerson trash incinerator
-Keep PFAS laden artificial turf fields out of the MCPS budget 
 -Urge strong amendments to the zoning law allowing Data Centers in the county. 

Great news out of Frederick County this week where a number of determined civic groups joined forces to put Frederick County's data center expansion plans to a vote of the people.
 
In January, the County Council voted 5-2 to approve a data center overlay zone that would allow 1% of the county's land - including some working farmland - to host data centers. 

Opponents needed 7% of the voters to sign the referendum petition - 15,000 signatures. By the deadline they turned in over 22,000 signatures. The Board of Elections just certified the signatures and the question will be on the ballot. 

The County Council has questioned the legality of the referendum. See this coverage from the Frederick News Post to learn more. 

Follow the referendum team for more developments here.  

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Data Centers are among the most water-intensive land uses ever proposed for a suburban county. Potable water is required to constantly cool computing equipment.  Currently data centers are not in the zoning code. Recently proposed ZTA 26-01 would allow them in industrial zones of the County but needs amendments to address water use.

The Potomac has seen significant drought... and it is getting worse
August 2025 was the driest month on record in 150 years. Experts predict that even with new reservoirs the Potomac will not meet drinking water  demand in extreme drought by 2050. Data centers already account for 12% of water consumption in the watershed. Groundwater resources - relied upon by the Ag Reserve are also facing drought.
County zoning must hold data centers to the highest standards to protect drinking water and local habitat
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Zoning is the tool county leaders have for balancing new growth with public and environmental health.  We are asking residents to join us to make the case for common sense guiderails on data centers in this ZTA. It’s not too late to protect drinking water, and habitat - but we can’t go back and require these changes once hyperscale data centers are built.

Land Link Montgomery is a program matching seasoned farmers with landowners to create more farm businesses in Montgomery County. 
In this program, we play matchmaker and what makes the best matches is shared vision. This was the case with Lauren, a long term Ag Reserve advocate and Chris, an experienced regenerative cattle farmer. Chris' cattle will cycle through the pastures at Lauren's property, improving the soil as they go. Happy cattle, verdant pastures - a mutually beneficial match. 

Lauren writes: