Sugarloaf Alliance
Preservation * Smarter Growth * Transparency in Government
Development near Sugarloaf (west of I-270 and north to the Monocacy River) should remain protected and free from commercial and industrial development. Check one
Strongly agree
A Green Infrastructure Plan should be completed and adopted before approving major new industrial rezonings. Check one.
Strongly Agree
If elected, do you pledge to never sign an NDA with a data center developer or other developer, nor to be bound by an NDA signed by another county official with a data center developer or any other developer? Check one.
Yes
County legislation should be developed to prohibit County Council members, the County Executive, and county staff from signing any NDA that restricts their ability to inform the public, deliberate openly, or carry out their public duties. Check one.
Strongly agree
Is the NDA a violation of the elected officials oath of office?
Frederick County should fund a thorough, independent cost-benefit analysis of data center impacts, specifically on Frederick County, regardless of any analysis that may be conducted by the State of Maryland on State level impacts. Check one.
Agree
How many data centers should be built in Frederick County? Check the answer closest to your position.
As many as allowed inside the original 1,586-acre Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay Zone proposed by the Planning Commission.
I don't like any of the options provided and they confuse me, because option 0 and 4 require a change in law. Are you really asking if I would support a change in zoning law to put in place better restrictions on data centers and light industrial development? Then, YES I do support updating our planning and zoning laws to better protect our resources and clearly define our priorities for future growth.
What new county data center legislation would you endorse? Check all you support.
Increased distances to residences and public uses, Stricter noise limits, Stricter water use limits, Stricter design, height, and screening limits, Efficiency and power consumption limits, Full disclosure of electricity consumption, water consumption, height and footprint, backup generation capacity, noise and lighting impacts, and infrastructure needs and requirements of proposed data centers., An independent, third-party regularly monitoring data center operation (e.g. noise, water consumption) that reports its results publicly, including additional testing triggered by resident complaints or changes in operations., Mandatory corrective actions within a defined timeframe, with meaningful penalties or operational restrictions if compliance is not achieved (if post-construction monitoring shows a data center exceeds approved limits).
What are your thoughts concerning environmental issues, preservation, development, transparency in government, and data centers in Frederick County? Describe any priorities, tradeoffs, or concerns that guide your thinking.
Lets remember that the current members of Legislative District 4 sponsored and voted for the 2024 Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act that, according to the Baltimore Sun, "relieves data centers from state regulations that apply to other facilities looking to construct high-capacity generating stations." The Sun says the bill was introduced "after Aligned Data Centers, a prospective tenant on the Quantum Loophole campus in Adamstown, said it would abandon the project over a state agency’s denial of its request to install 168 backup generators."
We only have one planet.
We all need clean water, food, and unpolluted land to grow our food.
Yes, technology is part of our current and future lives, and it generates jobs. But it should not be a higher priority than meeting the basic needs of our residents. Nor should we commit our resources before we know what the total costs and benefits are to Frederick County.