The Prince George’s County Council passed a flurry of bills to close out the 2024 legislative session and environmental sustainability was a top priority.
While the council passed a bill that expands electric vehicle charging, advocates voiced concerns about building data centers and its potential negative impact on the environment, leading to a key part of now-former County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ outgoing agenda being tabled until the next legislative session.
Council member Wala Blegay (D-District 5) sponsored a bill to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at multifamily and commercial developments, as well as in parking lots at office buildings and apartment communities. While EV charging has been available at gas stations and at some shopping centers, she believes that expanding the availability of chargers will ease the transition to cleaner vehicles.
“The reality is that this is the future, this is where we are going,” said Blegay, according to DC News Now. “What Americans love most is convenience, and if someone has their car in an office parking lot, we want them to be able to get a charge so they don’t have to stop somewhere and put themselves at risk.”
Blegay also noted that Howard and Montgomery Counties have implemented similar bills.
However, Sarah Price, Maryland Retailers Alliance vice president of communications and government affairs, expressed opposition to the proposal, stating that there is sufficient EV infrastructure in the county.
“We always appreciate wanting our involvement in these matters as a partner,” Price said during a council meeting on the bill in mid-November. “But I don’t think that occurred during this process and based on the information I have we are still opposed.”
Data Centers: Pros, Cons and Potential Environmental Harms
The council also tabled a bill to streamline the process to approve data centers in the county, as county residents and leaders have mixed views about the pros and cons of them coming to Prince George’s.
Some supporters, including Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Alexander Austin, cited the tax revenue derived from data centers as a major boost to Prince George’s amid ongoing budget uncertainties.
“Data centers that we’ve seen in the regional capacity have provided a tremendous amount of corporate tax revenue that has impacted the community in a positive way,” said Austin.
Under Alsobrooks, the Office of the County Executive sought the passage of this bill, similar to how Gov. Wes Moore (D) has streamlined the data center process at the state level.
“Four data centers in Maryland could create about 500 short-term jobs, 30 to 50 long-term jobs, up to $5 million dollars per year in tax benefits,” said Angie Rodgers, deputy chief administrative officer for economic development for the Office of the County Executive.
However, some residents and advocates raised issue with rapid development without proper community input, along with the associated environmental and energy risks.
“Data centers are an integral part of our daily life. But as we’ve learned from northern Virginia, allowing them by right development without community input leads to drastic energy, water and land impacts,” said conservation advocate Angie McCarthy.