Moore says he would ‘absolutely sign’ statewide data center moratorium

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said Thursday he would “absolutely sign” a statewide data center moratorium if brought to his desk, joining other governors and elected officials calling for a freeze on developing new data centers.

“If the statewide moratorium bill lands on your desk in 2027, would you sign it?” Punchbowl News’s Mikenzie Frost asked Moore in an interview .

“Yes,” Moore quickly said. “And here’s the thing, it’s like — I believe that local jurisdictions should have say and they should not be told nor dictated, and I do understand there are certain local jurisdictions who want it. I just need them to understand I have very strict guidelines of what’s going to actually get state approval and state authority.”

He added that if a bill approaches him, he “will absolutely sign it.”

Thirteen of the Old Line State’s 24 jurisdictions have implemented temporary bans on data center development. Among those jurisdictions are Baltimore, Worcester, Calvert, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the latter two of which border Washington, D.C.

Moore, who is facing reelection in November against former state Del. Dan Cox (R), has previously urged data centers in his state to bring their own energy resources and meet environmental regulations, largely leaving the power of what to do with data centers to local officials, Maryland Matters reported in August.

Residents from the counties putting these moratoriums in place have been vocal in their opposition to data center development and their impact on housing and utility costs.

At the federal level, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on Thursday blocked a Republican-led bill to have states consider requiring tech companies to cover increased electricity costs from their operations. He said it was not enough.

“Rather than voluntary pledges or suggestions to states, Congress needs to pass real legislation with real teeth,” Heinrich said.

Also on Thursday, New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland (D) announced that she backed a moratorium , emphasizing the environmental impact and keeping the environment safe. She called for requiring data centers to build their own renewable energy infrastructure to prevent New Mexicans from paying soaring energy costs.

New Mexico has 21 operational data centers, with one under construction, five planned, one paused and on inactive, according to the U.S. Data Center Map .

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday directed the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data centers found not to enforce state requirements on water usage or face criminal consequences. Those centers would become ineligible to receive permits or renewals from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

President Trump has said data centers must pay for their own water and power consumption, an increasingly bipartisan position, but he slammed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in July for a statewide freeze on data center development.

“Data Centers are tremendous WINS for the States and Communities that are lucky enough to get them. New York should change its Policy, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Radical Left Dumocrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China, and other countries!”