Maryland Data Center Intel

Recent Maryland data center news

• May 18, 2026

  Roundup: Trump’s GOP grip / Amendment 3 / Powering AI

  U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy finished third in Louisiana’s Republican primary.

  • Bill Cassidy finished third behind Julia Letlow (Trump-backed) and John Fleming; Cassidy voted to convict Trump after Jan. 6. National GOP figures frame the result as evidence of Donald Trump’s continued influence.
  • The article links the result to ongoing targeting of Republican critics, noting Trump is now focused on Rep. Thomas Massie.

  Voters rejected Louisiana’s Amendment 3, blocking use of education trust funds for teacher retirement debt.

  • The rejection means colleges and public school systems in Louisiana will miss an estimated $70 million in potential savings for universities that proponents said would help offset budget deficits, inflation pressures, campus needs, and student success initiatives.
  • The piece reports the proposal would have deployed education trust fund balances to pay down teacher retirement debt; voters’ refusal prevents that reallocation.

  Officials in at least six states are pushing back against utility rate increases amid AI-driven electricity demand.

  • Governors, attorneys general and other officials in Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania are moving to block proposed utility rate increases and are pressing some utilities to change their financing model for major system upgrades.
  • The reporting ties the backlash to the artificial intelligence boom, higher electricity bills, growing utility profits, and increased demand from data centers.
• May 14, 2026

  Policymakers Consider Temporary Pause on AI Data Center Construction: What Stakeholders Need to Know

  On March 25, 2026, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act.

  • Main announcement: The Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on March 25, 2026, would impose a nationwide halt on constructing or upgrading new or existing data centers with a power demand of 20 megawatts (MW) or more until “strong national safeguards” are in place; the Act also seeks to bar government subsidies, require union labor/prevailing wages, and give affected communities ability to approve or reject projects.
  • Background and related measures: Multiple state and local actions are cited including New York Senate Bill 9144 (prohibits permits for data centers capable of using 20 MW or more until new regulations), indefinite local moratoriums (e.g., Oldham County, KY), over 100 localities with moratoria, a reported $156 billion across 48 projects blocked or delayed in 2025, and the Port Washington, WI referendum requiring voter approval for tax-increment financing for projects with base value or project costs over $10 million; Virginia legislative action (Senate Bill 30) would end a sales/use tax exemption for certain data center equipment on January 1, 2027.
• May 13, 2026

  AI Infrastructure’s Next Bottleneck May Be Public Acceptance

  Melissa Farney (Data Center Frontier) argues that AI data center expansion has become a first‑order political and permitting constraint, citing recent legislative and local actions including the “Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act” proposal and Maine’s LD 307 veto.

  • Main point: The article states that AI‑oriented data center growth is now a core political and permitting risk for operators, not just a siting or PR issue, citing industry forecasts such as JLL’s ~$710 billion North America capex projection to 2026 and project‑level impact estimates from Data Center Watch (approximately $18B blocked and $46B delayed, totalling $64B) and a New York Times compilation of $156B across 48 AI projects disrupted in 2025.
  • Key supporting facts & recent actions: Federal and state moves are already concrete: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez unveiled the “Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act”; Maine’s LD 307 (would have paused data centers >20 MW through Nov 1, 2027) was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills; local utilities like the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) imposed a 12‑month moratorium on new water/sewer hookups in April 2026. The article also highlights New Jersey bill S731/A796 (require 85% of requested service for 10 years for very large loads) as an example of state-level cost‑allocation tools.
• May 11, 2026

  Maryland Pushes Back on $2 Billion Grid Upgrades

  The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) against PJM Interconnection challenging an estimated $2 billion in electricity transmission costs.

  • Main action: The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel filed a complaint with FERC alleging approximately $2 billion in electricity transmission costs are being unfairly shifted onto Maryland residents and businesses by PJM Interconnection.
  • Background and details: The complaint contends PJM’s cost allocation formula improperly requires Maryland ratepayers to subsidize transmission projects that are primarily driven by data center expansion in other states; PJM is identified as the regional grid operator serving 13 states and Washington, D.C.
• May 11, 2026

  Senate Bill Would Explore Satellite Broadband Expansion Across Appalachia

  The Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act, introduced by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), would require the Appalachian Regional Commission to study the incorporation of satellite broadband into regional broadband projects.

  • Requires Appalachian Regional Commission study: The bill would direct the Appalachian Regional Commission to evaluate satellite broadband effectiveness for business use, examine economic development outcomes in areas already using satellite connectivity, and assess the overall cost-effectiveness of the technology; if the study finds satellite effective, rural businesses and communities could seek ARC funding under the commission’s programs.
  • Context and supporting details: The proposal builds on a House companion bill passed by unanimous voice vote in March; the ARC currently prioritizes fiber-optic infrastructure but funds other technologies that provide “fiber-like” experiences in challenging terrain; the article cites an Ookla white paper finding Starlink increasingly meets the FCC benchmark of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.
• May 8, 2026

  World-leading climate centre takes Trump administration to court

  UCAR (the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) has sued the US government and asked a court to freeze plans to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

  • Main action:UCAR (a coalition of around 130 universities) sued the government in March and on 3 April asked a US district court judge to freeze plans to transfer stewardship of NCAR’s supercomputing centre in Cheyenne, Wyoming; a court hearing took place on 7 May and Judge R. Brooke Jackson said he would issue a decision “as promptly as possible”.
  • Background and timeline: Documents show the White House budget office instructed the NSF in November to begin restructuring NCAR to align with Administration priorities; the NSF requested proposals and public comments (deadline 13 March) but told NCAR officials on 12 February that it had decided to transfer the supercomputing centre; UCAR argues the process is a “sham process” while the NSF says “a final decision has not been made to transfer stewardship.”
• May 7, 2026

  50 States of Power Decarbonization Q1 2026: Lawmakers Tackle Cost Allocation and Ratepayer Protections for Large Load Additions

  The NC Clean Energy Technology Center released the Q1 2026 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization report.

  • Report release & key findings: The Q1 2026 report documents 509 actions taken by 49 states plus Puerto Rico during the quarter and notes more than 600 introduced bills not yet passed. It reports planned capacity additions of 58,276 MW solar, 54,952 MW natural gas, 30,297 MW storage, and 22,358 MW wind, and 30,967 MW of planned coal retirements.
  • Top developments & context: The report highlights top policy developments including the Arizona Corporation Commission repealing the state renewable energy standard, Florida requiring large load tariffs, a North Carolina task force report on large load growth, Virginia rejoining RGGI, and El Paso Electric proposing large load tariffs in New Mexico; the most active states in Q1 2026 were Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Arizona.
• May 5, 2026

  IQ Fiber Launches Fiber-Optic Internet Service in Pinellas County, Florida

  IQ Fiber has launched 100 percent fiber-optic internet service in Pinellas County, Florida, covering St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Largo.

  • Launch: IQ Fiber launched 100% fiber-optic internet service in Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo); Investment: marks the beginning of a more than $100 million investment in the region; Jobs: expected to create more than 50 permanent jobs.
  • Background & footprint: Jacksonville-based company founded in 2021 with funding from SDC Capital Partners; current network serves Jacksonville and Gainesville (FL) and areas in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, and South Carolina; public comments quoted IQ Fiber CEO Ted Schremp and Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector.
• May 5, 2026

  New Data Center Developments: May 2026

  Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup highlighting global data center project announcements, regulatory moves, and investment commitments driven by hyperscale AI demand.

  • Main announcement: The roundup catalogs multiple concrete project actions including Aligned Data Centers’ Project Caprock (540 MW, 313-acre campus in Hale County, Texas; initial delivery Q1 2027), EdgeCore’s completion of $1.5 billion in financing for two Northern Virginia hyperscale centers, and Yondr Group energizing a 27 MW Toronto facility expected in mid-2026. It also notes major investment commitments such as Digital Realty’s near S$7 billion Singapore plan (S$4.3 billion for new data centers) and AWS increasing planned investment in Mississippi to $25 billion.
  • Context and details: The piece outlines parallel regulatory updates in U.S. states (Maine vetoed a moratorium; Wisconsin revised We Energies tariff rules; North Carolina advanced legislation to require hyperscalers to cover infrastructure costs), workforce and partnership initiatives (Equinix Foundation with ODATA, Cisco, Vertiv launching training in Brazil, cohorts mid-2026), and other regional projects and financings (TikTok €1 billion Finland site; Ark Data Centres >€600 million Barcelona project; Equinix land purchases in South Africa totaling ZAR 890 million).
• May 3, 2026

  Eric Bethras: From Fiber to Fabric, the Next Evolution of BEAD

  Maryland has announced the Statewide Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG) and its in-house “Single View” platform to coordinate transportation routes, towers, government facilities, and un(der)served communities under a single, multi-use digital infrastructure strategy.

  • Main announcement: Maryland’s DoIT is implementing the Statewide Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG) and the Single View geospatial platform to create a unified inventory of infrastructure assets (fiber, towers, facilities, un(der)served areas) so agencies can coordinate planning, align funding, and prioritize investments; the state endorses a “Goldilocks approach” to size infrastructure for multi-use outcomes (broadband, public safety, AI-ready services).
  • Background and policy request: The piece, authored by Eric Bathras (DoIT CTO), urges federal action as BEAD remaining funds are considered—recommending NTIA and Congress explicitly allow states to use BEAD residual funds for middle-mile networks, shared-use assets, integrated planning platforms, and corridor-based strategies to unlock public-private collaboration; the article describes ongoing programs led by the author, including networkMaryland, Maryland MD FiRST, Cloud & Datacenter Services, and DoIT’s Infrastructure Agreements.