Frederick County was supposed to be the firewall. The hold-the-line county. The place that would manage high-growth energy infrastructure before it overwhelmed the land, the people, and the grid.
Instead, it may be the spark that lights the fuse.
On June 17, the Frederick County Council will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to its Critical Digital Infrastructure (CDI) Overlay—a bureaucratic term for the zoning rules that decide where large-scale data centers can be built. While the original intent of the overlay was good—steer development into appropriate areas and protect farms and rural heritage—the changes now on the table raise serious concerns for anyone who cares about property rights, land conservation, and smart infrastructure.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t just a Frederick County issue. This is a statewide warning.
🚨 Here’s What’s At Stake:
- Massive Land Grabs: Agricultural preservation zones could be rezoned for industrial use. The overlay now stretches across nearly 4,500 acres, a far cry from a small-scale, targeted approach.
- Homes at Risk: Setbacks from residential homes are down to just 200 feet—a dangerous proximity for energy-intensive buildings that can hum, emit heat, and demand nonstop power.
- Overruling the Experts: The County’s own data center working group was largely ignored. Their recommendations for cautious, protective policy didn’t make it into the bill. Why ask for input if you’re going to bulldoze over it?
⚠️ What This Means for Maryland
The growth of data centers is not the problem. The mismanagement of that growth is.
Maryland is already staring down the barrel of the Maryland-Pennsylvania Reliability Project (MPRP)—a 70-mile, 500,000-volt high-voltage transmission line being pushed by PSEG. That project is a canary in the coal mine for what happens when local planning fails and out-of-state utilities step in to “solve” the problem their way—with eminent domain, grid monopolies, and zero accountability to Marylanders.
Let’s not forget: PSEG didn’t wait for Maryland’s PSC to finish evaluating the MPRP. They ran straight to federal court, showing exactly what these energy giants think of local oversight.
And if data center sprawl in Frederick isn’t checked now, expect more transmission corridors, more takings of private land, and more out-of-state companies telling Marylanders how it’s going to be.
🛑 Stop MPRP, Inc. Stands with Frederick County Residents
We support every citizen showing up to oppose these reckless changes to the data center overlay. Because if you don’t draw the line at 4,500 acres today, there will be no line tomorrow.
Let’s not become the next Northern Virginia—paved over, lit up, and stripped of its identity in the name of “digital progress.”
📣 What You Can Do
✅ Attend the hearing:
🗓 Monday, June 17, 2025, at 5:30 PM
📍 Winchester Hall, 12 E Church St, Frederick
💻 Or participate virtually: publicinput.com/M127
✅ Email your County Council:
📬 councilmembers@frederickcountymd.gov
Tell them: Protect the land. Restore the setbacks. Say no to transmission-triggering sprawl.
✅ Share this statewide:
Whether you live in Frederick or not, this fight will affect your utility bills, your farmland, and your freedom.
Final Word:
This isn’t about being anti-technology. It’s about being pro-Maryland.
Pro-sovereignty. Pro-responsibility. Pro-reality.
The state is already being carved up by corporate utility interests and rubber-stamped zoning. We can’t afford to hand over another county. Not Frederick. Not now.
Stop the spread. Strengthen the safeguards. Show up June 17.
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