Montgomery Jurisdictions Tighten Data Center Rules

Local officials in Montgomery County, Tennessee; Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania; and Montgomery County, Maryland, are tightening or debating rules for data centers.

Measures include utility and infrastructure plans, industrial-zone restrictions, public hearings, environmental and noise studies, closed-loop cooling, renewable electricity requirements, and proposed permitting pauses. The developments show local governments placing greater conditions on data center growth where electricity, water, neighborhood impacts, and infrastructure costs remain unresolved.