BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Council members on Monday introduced legislation that could place a one-year moratorium on data centers in the city, a move sponsors say is aimed at addressing rising energy costs and environmental concerns.

Council President Zeke Cohen, who is also sponsoring the bill, said it is meant to staunch the increasing cost of living for Baltimore residents, citing the halting of the Baltimore Peninsula transmission project by BGE earlier this month.

“Baltimore is in the midst of an affordability crisis,” Cohen said. “BGE bills have skyrocketed and residents across our city have had enough. People are choosing between paying for gas and electricity or their rent or mortgage.”

The proposed moratorium is separate from legislation introduced by Councilman Zac Blanchard that would block data centers in tax increment financing districts. Both measures remain pending before the council.

Cohen said the broader pause is also intended to address environmental justice concerns, arguing that data centers and related infrastructure are often concentrated in majority-Black neighborhoods. He pointed to research cited by advocates and institutions, including the NAACP and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which has found disproportionate environmental impacts in Black communities.

“Baltimore is one of the most environmentally degraded cities in our country,” Cohen said. “The legacy of redlining, racial housing covenants and disinvestment means that majority Black neighborhoods have substantially worse air quality than white neighborhoods. They have higher rates of asthma, they have less tree canopy and they are more exposed to pollution.”

More regulation, oversight needed

Separately, Councilwoman Phylicia Porter is co-sponsoring legislation with Blanchard calling for an informational hearing on data centers. The proposal would examine their potential economic benefits and risks, including impacts on neighborhoods, public health, infrastructure and energy demand.

“This informational hearing is about getting ahead of the issue before it gets ahead of us,” said Porter. “We have an opportunity to understand the full impact of data centers now and ensure that any future development protects our neighborhoods, infrastructure, and public health.”

The hearing would involve five city agencies — Planning, Law, Finance, Health and Public Works — to assess what the city currently knows about data center development and how to manage future growth as demand for digital storage and artificial intelligence continues to expand nationwide.

The informational hearing remains just an idea at this point, without any approval in place to hold it.

All of these proposals come in the wake of another hearing, one the City Council held to focus on rising utility costs from BGE. Residents described financial strain from bills exceeding $1,000 and raised concerns about infrastructure work tied to cast iron pipe replacement projects. BGE did not attend the hearing, opting instead to speak to the media ahead of the session.

Cohen said he supports additional oversight of both data centers and the infrastructure projects that support them before any further development moves forward in Baltimore.

“During this one-year moratorium, it is my hope that we will work closely with our partners in state government to meaningfully regulate the technology,” Cohen said.

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