Do you have an extra $20,000 in the bank for a brand new well if yours runs dry? I know I don’t, data centers require a lot of water and our aquifer is shrinking already. Data centers built in Calvert would be competing with homeowners over our water supply. Data centers also require enormous amounts of electricity, increasing the already high costs of energy for Calvert families. My biggest concern is that we don't have enough data on the impact of data centers on the environment, or on families living nearby.
Decrease in home values is another major financial issue that may be caused by building data centers in our communities. No one wants to live near a data center, so the citizens living in Lusby and other areas where data centers are being considered, will likely lose value on their properties once these centers are built.
Corporations like to promise new job opportunities in the communities where they want to build their centers, but these jobs only last until the center is constructed., then those short term workers will be let go.
Proponents say that if we allow data centers in Calvert then we can basically demand a blank check to pay for community projects, but I don't believe these corporations can be trusted. They will tell you anything you want to hear, like a used car salesman, they know that once the center is built, there is little we can do about it if they don't follow through on those promises. They have the money to keep lawsuits tied up in the courts for years.
I don't think decisions that are so consequential to Maryland families should be left entirely to the county commissioners, I plan to take the issue of data centers to the state level to protect our beautiful state and my hardworking neighbors.
By Authority, Friends of Jennifer M Davidson, Kate Harrison, Treasurer