For the last six months, our residents have been loud and united in our opposition to AI data centers being developed in Prince George's County. Because thousands have mobilized and taken action, the county officials have issued a moratorium on data center development until April 30th, 2026.

However, the fight is not over. Even with this public pressure, many on the council and in the county executive office still believe we need AI data centers. They may publicly be against the proposed Landover data center, but some are still willing to consider them in other parts of the county, including our southern districts where there is already tremendous pollution. Yet we know that any hyperscale data center would pollute our air and water, raise our power bills, and cause other existential crises.

Use this form to email all eleven councilmembers and the county executive urging them to enact a ban on AI hyperscale data centers and put the health of our community over the profit of tech billionaires!

Facts about this issue:

❌PG County is already an environmentally degraded area. PG County is treated as the region’s dumping ground. We already have a disproportionate amount of landfills, power plants, and coal ash sites and are in the top 10% of communities negatively impacted by cumulative environmental threats in Maryland.

⚡ Electricity use: AI data centers use as much electricity as entire counties and cities. This rise in demand strains our grid, disrupts electricity markets, and increases residential utility bills. Maryland’s residential electric bills have already jumped 50% since 2020 and could increase by hundreds of dollars a year if more AI data centers are built.

🧊ICE and Surveillance: As ICE tries to expand its headquarters in Southeast D.C. and detention centers in Hyattsville, the agency is increasingly relying on these massive AI data centers to train facial recognition software and track our neighbors. This makes it easier for them to violently kidnap and terrorize our immigrant community members and anyone who tries to stand up for them.

🏭 Increased air pollution: Fossil-fueled power plants and diesel backup generators that power data centers emit pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter. They increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and elevate cancer risk in nearby communities.

💧 Water use: Data centers use vast amounts of water to cool their servers. Hyperscale data centers can use up to 5 million gallons per day, or about 1.8 billion gallons annually. This is enough water for a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. This could lead to increased water strain and higher water bills in our region.

🪖War and Iran: The Pentagon is using AI data centers to create killing machines with zero human input. AI targeting was used for a U.S. bomb that killed over 150 young girls at an elementary school in Minab, Iran.

💼 Low permanent job creation: Data centers are highly automated and require a small workforce for daily operations. One example of many is a Microsoft data center in Illinois which created only 20 permanent jobs despite receiving over $38 million in tax breaks and promising to create more.

Due to recent bills passed by the state and PG County respectively, data centers are exempt from both state sales tax and local personal property tax, unlike small business owners. Once construction is complete, data centers will net NO tax revenue, especially when taxpayer cost to manage water and electrical infrastructure is factored in.