Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich to Host Community Forum on Data Center Legislation and Policies on Tuesday, Feb. 3

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich invites residents, community organizations, climate and environmental activists, and residents to attend a community forum on datacenters from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Leggett Executive Office Building (LEOB) auditorium. The LEOB is located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville. Residents and stakeholders can attend the forum in person or click here to participate virtually

County Executive Elrich seeks input on local legislation and policies fordatacenters in Montgomery County. A datacenterholds the computer equipment needed to store information and run digital services, and the large, "hyperscale," facilities require significant electricity and cooling to operate. Datacenters are growing across the region and offer economic benefits, but they also raise environmental, social, and land-use concerns.

"Datacenters are part of the modern economy, and we need to have an honest conversation about what they mean forMontgomery County," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "Datacenters can bring investment and jobs, but they also place real demands on our power grid, our water supply, and our land use. I want residents, businesses, and environmental advocates at the table, so we need to get this right. The decisions we make now will affect our climate goals, our neighborhoods, and energy costs foryears to come. This forum is about listening first and making sure any policy we adopt reflects the values and priorities of the people who live here."

To guide the development of local datacenterlegislation and policy, the County Executive developed draft Legislative and Policy Recommendations forDataCenters in Montgomery Countybased on best practices, research, and numerous conversations. Both Frederick County and Prince George's County's datacentertask force final reports inform these recommendations.

"I thank County Executive Elrich forholding this forum," said Council President Natali Fani-González. "I am proud to work with my colleagues Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles on a zoning text amendment (ZTA), inspired by our neighbors, that responsibly guides datacenterdevelopment and mitigates community impacts. We look forward to directly engaging with the community as the ZTA moves through the legislative process. Montgomery County embraces technology, innovation, and the economy of the future."

Foradditional questions, please email climate@montgomerycountymd.gov.

"Datacenters are critical to our digital economy, but they also consume large amounts of energy and water," said County Climate Change Officer Sarah Kogel-Smucker. "Our goal is to shape datacenterdevelopment in Montgomery County to align with our climate goals and use best practices forclean energy and efficient cooling."

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