Residents urge moratorium on data centers, citing water, health and rural-character risks

Dozens of residents told the Carroll County Board of Commissioners during the public-comment period that planned data centers, battery-storage projects and related developments threaten the county’s rural character, water supplies and public health.

"Stick with the comp plan, heavy industry does not need to go in unincorporated Carroll County," said Brian Hager, a Buck Creek resident, urging the board to keep industrial-scale facilities inside municipal boundaries. Speakers raised specific concerns about water use and contamination, noise and heat, emergency-response capacity, and the long-term risk of abandoned facilities. Diane Merrill of Rookville asked the board to classify such facilities as conditional uses under industrial zoning so each proposal is evaluated on its merits.

Multiple commenters demanded explicit decommissioning and financial-assurance provisions in any ordinance so taxpayers are not left with demolition bills or contaminated sites if a company leaves. "Your draft ordinance does not address decommissioning," said Jackie Cowan, urging requirements for site restoration and long-term post-closure maintenance. Health impacts were also a focus: Natalie Hayes cited academic reports and advocacy studies estimating sizable public-health costs associated with emissions and asked the board to extend a moratorium to allow full analysis.

Speakers included farmers, longtime residents and representatives of agricultural-conservation interests who noted Carroll County's history and programs that favor farmland protection. Several urged commissioners to use moratorium time to close regulatory loopholes, strengthen enforcement and require transparency from developers.