Montgomery County's full 11-member council is scheduled to vote Tuesday, July 28, on an 18-month moratorium that would freeze all new large data center building permits countywide and block the proposed 360-megawatt Dickerson campus from advancing.

For Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents, the stakes are direct: the Climate Coalition and more than 30 allied environmental groups say the Dickerson project's planned use of Potomac River water for cooling would strain the county's drinking water supply.

Councilmember Will Jawando has argued that data centers should not pay the same property tax rate as single-family homes and that residents face rising utility costs from unchecked energy demand.

"Right now, as I've mentioned, a data center would pay the same property tax rate as your single-family home, which is not appropriate," Jawando told WTOP on Thursday, July 23.

The council session begins at 1:30 p.m.

What the measures do

Two items are on the table. The moratorium bill would halt building permits for any facility meeting the county's new definition of a large data center for 18 months, taking effect immediately upon signing. A companion zoning text amendment defines a large data center as any building or group of buildings with electricity demand of at least 25 megawatts and prohibits them anywhere in the county.

The Economic Development Committee removed an exemption that would have allowed the Dickerson project to proceed during the pause, according to MoCoShow reporting.

How it got here

The 18-month timeline is a compromise. Councilmember Evan Glass introduced a six-month moratorium bill on May 6; Jawando and Councilmember Kristin Mink countered with a two-year version about a week later. On Wednesday, the Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to merge the bills at 18 months. The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee voted 3-0 the same day to approve the ZTA.

Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe called the timeline a "good compromise" at the July 22 committee meeting, saying the council had spent seven months working on the issue and that "six months is not enough, two years felt too long."

County Executive Marc Elrich signed an executive order on June 12 barring the permitting department from processing data center applications for six months. The council's legislation, if passed, would replace and extend that order.

Who supports it

Seven of the 11 council members have publicly backed the measures: Council President Natali Fani-González, Balcombe, Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles (co-sponsors of the ZTA), Jawando, Glass, Mink and Councilmember Andrew Friedson, who represents Bethesda's District 1 and chairs the PHP Committee.

Friedson said at the July 22 PHP meeting that the moratorium is "an opportunity to do the work" and that he expects policy development to continue during the pause rather than stalling.

The Dickerson project

California-based Atmosphere Data Centers is seeking approval to build a five-building, 360-megawatt campus at a former coal plant site in Dickerson owned by Florida-based Terra Energy. Atmosphere filed an appeal with the county Board of Appeals on July 10, arguing that Elrich's executive order is unlawful and that the permitting department improperly changed its zoning interpretation.

At a June 17 rally outside the council building in Rockville, residents held signs reading "AI Won't Pay My Electric Bill" and "You Can't Drink Data."

How to weigh in

Residents can submit written testimony through the Montgomery County Council's website at montgomerycountymd.gov. The official agenda does not list the data center items as public hearing items; residents who want to speak in person should call Legislative Information Services at 240-777-7910 to confirm whether oral testimony will be accepted. The council's Office of Legislative Oversight has a data center impact report scheduled for fall 2026, according to Bethesda Magazine reporting.