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Solomons resident warns commissioners data centers could bring long‑term costs, urges conditions
Summary
A Solomons resident told the Calvert County Board that proposed data processing centers could create short‑term construction jobs but long‑term liabilities — higher utility costs, groundwater risks, and limited local employment — and urged strict contract conditions for workforce training, infrastructure costs and cooling methods.
Leonard Souza, speaking on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of Solomons, urged the commissioners to proceed cautiously on negotiations with proposals to locate data processing centers in the county.
Souza told the board that the apparent economic benefits may be illusory: construction will create many temporary jobs, he said, but long‑term employment will be limited and require highly technical skills that many local residents lack. He argued the county risks higher energy costs for residents because of the electrical upgrades and capacity these facilities demand and raised a concern that groundwater could be used for cooling, potentially stressing local aquifers.
"What may initially appear to be a financial windfall is almost certainly likely to turn into a long term budgetary liability," Souza said, urging the board to require any data center operator to fund workforce training at the College of Southern Maryland, to absorb grid upgrade costs rather than pass them to residents, and to disclose proposed cooling methods with a preference for non‑groundwater systems.
Souza offered to provide the board with a written copy of his remarks for the record.
The public comment was taken after the budget adoption item; commissioners acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to factor potential externalities and contractual protections into any future negotiations with data‑center developers.
