Maryland Orders Statewide Review and Dashboard for Large Data Centers, Joining Virginia’s Push for Tighter Oversight

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing a statewide review process and a public dashboard for large data center projects. The order aims to give state-level oversight and transparency to a sector whose rapid growth has generated local pushback.

Communities near new server farms have raised complaints about noise and higher energy bills. Those concerns prompted state officials to create a formal review path and a public-facing dashboard so the public can monitor large projects and the state's responses.

Maryland's move follows actions in Virginia to tighten data center permitting and environmental controls. Virginia's policy changes include restricting automatic local approvals for higher‑power facilities and tightening transparency and clean‑energy requirements for new projects. Maryland's executive order places the state in a regional trend toward more oversight of large-scale data center development.

The executive order sets up two concrete elements:

• A statewide review process for large data center projects so the state can evaluate proposals beyond local approvals.
• A public dashboard that will track large projects and make information available to residents and stakeholders.

Large commercial data centers and their developers will see additional state-level review and public reporting requirements. Local communities may gain earlier and clearer access to project information, while state agencies will take on coordinating roles for oversight.

The executive order outlines the framework for review and a public dashboard but does not, in the reporting provided here, specify exact thresholds for "large" projects, enforcement mechanisms, or timelines for implementation. Further rulemaking or agency guidance will be needed to turn the executive order into detailed permitting or operational requirements.

• Local residents: Expect a new source of public information about proposed and existing large data centers via the dashboard.
• Local governments: State review could supplement or alter current local permitting practices, particularly for higher‑power projects.
• Developers and utilities: Anticipate additional state-level scrutiny and public visibility that could affect project timelines and community relations.

Virginia recently announced tighter permitting and environmental controls on data centers, aiming to limit automatic local approvals for facilities above specific power thresholds and to increase transparency and energy-related conditions for new projects. Maryland's executive order aligns it with that regional policy direction.

Look for agency guidance that defines which projects are subject to review, the metrics the dashboard will display (for example, energy use or noise controls), and any new permitting or mitigation expectations issued by state regulators. Those details will determine how much impact the order has on new and expanding data center projects.