Without MoCo Council action, the company “Atmosphere” will sink the County’s climate goals and harm ratepayers, leaders say

Watch the full press conference here

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD – Noted Montgomery County environmental leaders held a Zoom press call today to highlight the enormous climate pollution that will come from a proposed hyperscale data center in Dickerson, Maryland. Absent action from the Montgomery County Council, this facility, which will pull 300 megawatts of energy from the regional electric grid, will singlehandedly sink the County’s climate pollution reduction goals. 

“Montgomery County has set ambitious climate goals, but they mean nothing if we allow a single project like this to wipe them out overnight,” said Doug Siglin, Director Emeritus, Building a Better Maryland. “The County Council must make clear that any new hyperscale data center here must commit to 100% clean power from day one, no exceptions.” 

“If the data center developer Atmosphere gets a free pass to burn dirty power, Montgomery residents will pay the price twice, once on our electric bills and again in climate damages,” said Mike Tidwell, Executive Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund. “Local leaders need to draw the line right now and demand 100% clean energy for the proposed Dickerson data center.”

In this press conference, leaders provided startling information showing that a huge pulse of pollution will be triggered by the data center company Atmosphere. The company has declined to make a commitment to powering the facility with clean energy, triggering pollution and ratepayer concerns for the county. The company’s proposal for the massive Dickerson facility is currently moving through the County approval process.

“We’re really approaching this from the perspective of public health and environmental justice,” said Angie McCarthy, with Nature Forward and Marylanders for Data Center Reform. “We want to ensure that while we might be protecting the grid, we’re also protecting our communities from the harmful effects of increased air pollution and increased climate change [because] that is a danger to their health.”

McCarthy spoke to the need for backup power for the data center to come from batteries and efficiency gains, not solely from dirty diesel-powered generators.

This press conference comes at a pivotal moment, as key data center approval bills are now moving through the Montgomery County Council, and decisions could be made in the coming weeks. The briefing is intended to ensure that Councilmembers and the public understand the full climate and ratepayer impacts of the proposed Dickerson facility before any final votes are taken.

Watch the recorded press conference HERE.

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.