We Paused Data Centers.
Stay with Will.

In May, Will Jawando and Councilmember Kristin Mink introduced a two-year moratorium on data center permits. Residents organized, testified, and wrote the Council by the thousands. On July 28, 2026, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved an 18-month moratorium on data center permits — with no exemption for the proposed Dickerson project — and a zoning change that prohibits hyperscale data centers in the county for now.

Data centers are the fastest-growing consumers of electricity in the region. In Virginia, they already consume 40% of the state's electricity - and that's driving up energy bills for families right here in Montgomery County. The pause gives us time to get the rules right before any new data center moves forward.

What Will Is Pressing For Next

• Strong standards during the pause - use the 18 months to set the rules before any new data center is built in Montgomery County
• 100% clean energy requirements - any future data centers must be powered entirely by renewable sources
• Protection of agricultural land and the Agricultural Reserve
• Union labor standards for construction and operations
• No tax breaks for data center corporations - our residents shouldn't subsidize Big Tech's profits
• Community impact assessments before any development moves forward