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# Maryland lawmakers plan statewide data center moratorium bills for January
- URL: https://www.gridlinedaily.com/maryland-lawmakers-plan-statewide-data-center-moratorium-bills-for-january/
- Published: 2026-11-10T20:07:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-10T20:07:17.000Z
- Description: No state legislature has passed a statewide pause on data centers. Gov. Wes Moore has said he would sign one.
- Author: Gridline Staff
- Tags: Policy

Maryland lawmakers plan to introduce bills in January that would pause new data center construction statewide for several years, a step no state legislature has taken.

State Sens. Mary Washington and C.T. Wilson, both Democrats, intend to file multi-year moratorium bills when the General Assembly convenes, WYPR reported. The plans were discussed Saturday at a one-day meeting of state and local officials and climate advocates in Baltimore, hosted by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Gov. Wes Moore has said he would sign a statewide moratorium if one reached his desk, though he has described such decisions as a local matter, according to Maryland Matters.

Much of the state has already acted locally. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network says 90% of Marylanders live in a jurisdiction with a local pause or ban on new data centers. Governors in New York and Texas have paused development by executive order, WYPR reported.

A second proposal would go further on power. Del. Lorig Charkoudian, a Montgomery County Democrat, wants to require data centers to supply their own clean electricity rather than draw on the regional grid. Maryland’s current approach is voluntary. A 2026 law lets projects that bring clean power equal to 80% to 100% of their peak demand move to the front of the line for a grid connection.

Moore issued an executive order in September creating a task force to review projects of 25 MW or more and barring state agencies from signing new nondisclosure agreements with developers. It stopped short of a pause. He also plans to seek repeal of a 2020 state tax exemption for data centers. Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, a Republican, has criticized that approach, arguing that removing incentives while trying to recruit data centers makes Maryland less competitive.

The debate follows a federal ruling that left the question to states. Federal regulators last month rejected most of a plan by PJM, the regional grid operator, to set its own rules for connecting data centers, saying key parts intruded on state authority.

**Sources:** [WYPR](https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-11-09/maryland-leaders-begin-work-on-new-data-center-regulations-with-statewide-moratorium-on-the-table?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [Maryland Matters via Route Fifty](https://www.route-fifty.com/infrastructure/2026/09/new-data-centers-maryland-get-additional-scrutiny-under-governors-order/416189/?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [Bisnow](https://www.bisnow.com/news/national/data-center-power/federal-regulators-reject-power-cuts-to-data-centers-that-dont-bring-their-own?ref=gridlinedaily.com)