PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Calvert County’s latest moratorium vote on data centers ended in a 2-2 tie on Tuesday.
With Commissioner Earl “Buddy” Hance absent from the meeting, the vote resulted with a tie they were unable to break with a fifth vote. According to local rules, a tied vote is considered a failed motion.
More than an hour of conversation between the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and Director of Planning & Zoning Jason Brinkley revolved around the best way to follow the process of putting a moratorium in place. Brinkley discussed plans to contract outside firms to conduct independent studies, with Director of Public Works JR Cosgrove pressing to develop specific language around the moratorium, its timeline and what they want firms to study to give the moratorium the best chance of holding up in court.
Brinkley and Commissioner Todd Ireland recommended an additional work session on July 7 for them to work together to draft specific language before advertising a public hearing, which would result in a moratorium vote on July 28.
“It wasn’t if there’s a moratorium vote, it’s what are the terms of that vote,” Brinkley said.
But Commissioner Mike Hart pushed back and said a moratorium should come first, regardless of the specific language. Hart argued that the county’s needs were too unique to wait and that he refused to “kick the can” and continue dragging the public and staff through the process.
Hart said that putting the moratorium in place first would give the county time to develop the language and scope of work for studies, or have a firm tell them what should be studied. Brinkley said he was trying to give Hart the best chance to have what he wanted. He also said that pushing the vote back three weeks would not change anything with the AWS site plan.
“I’m not doing anything that doesn’t include and involve a moratorium,” Hart said, noting other counties in Maryland are either banning the controversial facilities or imposing pauses for information-gathering purposes.
“The people do not want it,” Hart added, emphasizing that he needed to do what the people wanted and could not worry about AWS or lawsuits. “The only way to rebuild trust is to listen to what they say. They want a moratorium. Put it in.”
Commissioner Catherine Grasso added that she does not think data centers have a place in Calvert County.
The vote failed, with Hart and Grasso voting in favor of the immediate moratorium and Ireland and Mark Cox voting in opposition. If any commissioners want to propose a moratorium going forward, they will have to start the process over.
Early voting for the primaries in Calvert County is underway, with all five Republican commissioners on the ballot.
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Hartford County, Maryland has voted no Data centers in their county. We need to vote all these commissioners OUT!!!
“Do what the people wanted” what a joke. My family came from England to Maryland in the 1600s. People want to not to have to go to St. Mary’s or Prince George’s for reasonably priced hardware items or go to a good restaurant like longhorn or Texas Road house. Here’s an example, a wooden mailbox post at Sneads costs $59. It’s $26 at home depot. I worked for 45 years downtown in DC in IT. Drove from Chesapeake Beach daily. Let’s be short sighted and let the Chinese pull ahead of the US in AI just because “don’t want it in our county” build them but put restrictions like they must improve the power grid and pay for thier electric needs and not have the BGE and SMECO customers pay for it.
Sounds like Mark Cox and Todd Ireland are voting themselves out of office