COMMUNITY SIGN ON LETTER

We, residents and community leaders, of Landover and Prince George’s County, demand that the construction of a hyperscale data center in Landover be canceled now! We urge those in power to protect the dignity and wellbeing of the residents that make this County so lucrative and powerful. We are against the construction of a hyperscale data center for the following reasons:

❌ Landover is already an environmentally degraded area. We are in the top 10% of communities negatively impacted by cumulative environmental threats in Maryland.

🏭 Increased air pollution: Fossil-fueled power plants and diesel backup generators that power data centers emit pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter. They increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and elevate cancer risk in nearby communities.

🔊 Increased noise pollution: Data centers generate significant noise pollution primarily from backup diesel generators and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

💧 Increased water use: Data centers use large amounts of water to cool their servers. Hyperscale data centers can use up to 5 million gallons per day, or about 1.8 billion gallons annually. This is enough water for a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.This could lead to increased water strain and higher water bills in our region. 

⚡ Increased electricity bills: Data centers need a lot of electricity to operate. The electricity used to operate a hyperscale data center could accommodate electricity for 500,000 homes. This sharp rise in demand impacts electricity markets and consumer bills, leading to higher power plant and grid infrastructure costs.

💼 Low permanent job creation: Data centers are highly automated and require a small workforce for daily operations. One example of many is a Microsoft data center in Illinois which created only 20 permanent jobs despite receiving over $38 million in tax breaks and promising to create more.

⛔ Failure to generate meaningful tax revenue: Due to recent bills passed by the state and PG County respectively, data centers are exempt from both state sales tax and local personal property tax, unlike small business owners. Once construction is complete, data centers will bring net nothing in tax revenue, especially when taxpayer cost to manage water and electrical infrastructure is factored in.

We demand that the construction of a hyperscale data center in Landover be canceled now! It is imperative that those in power prioritize the health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of the residents. We stand strong as a community against this data center and will use our voices to ensure this project does not move forward. We are not a dumping ground for a project that seeks to only line the pockets of billionaires and corporations while we pay the price. We refuse to pay the bill for our own economic impoverishment.

Signed, 

Advocacy Groups

Party for Socialism and Liberation

Indivisible Prince George's County

ANSWER Coalition

Greenbelt Resistance Network

Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek

Greenbelt Climate Action Network

Juventud Unida por la Independencia DMV

Mid-Atlantic Region of The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP Mid-Atlantic)

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa)

Metro DC DSA

Center for Engagement Environmental Justice and Health INpowering Communities (CEEJH INC)

Concerned Citizens of Prince George's County D4 and Surrounding Areas Inc.

Concerned Citizens for Bail Reform

Sunrise DC

Greenpeace

Student Groups

17 for Peace and Justice

University of Maryland, College Park NAACP

UnLocked Project

Former/Elected Officials

Dr. Noah Waters, Former Mayor of the Town of Eagle Harbor

Councilmember Briana Urbina, City of New Carrollton

Councilmember Frankie Santos Fritz, City of Greenbelt

Commissioner Anthony Tilghman, City of District Heights (Ward 1)

Councilmember Carrol McBryde, Town of Bladensburg (Ward 2)

Council President Derek Curtis II, City of Glenarden 

Councilmember Sophia Emeritz, Town of Colmar Manor

Mayor Monica Casañas, Town of Colmar Manor

Mayor Celina Benitez, City of Mount Rainier

Councilmember Robin Jones, City of Glenarden 

Senator Joanne Benson, Maryland State Senate

Councilmember Kizzie Scott, City of Seat Pleasant

Councilmember Joseph Hourclé, Town of Upper Marlboro

Delegate Derrick Coley, Maryland House of Delegates, 24th District

Councilmember Joanne Waszczak, City of Hyattsville

Councilmember Lincoln Lashley, City of New Carrollton

Commission Chair Wanda Wheatley, Town of Cottage City

Commissioner Reney Henderson Sr., Town of Cottage City

Mayor Jeff Schomisch, Town of Landover Hills

Commissioner Julia Salsich, Town of Cottage City

Commissioner John Brooks, Town of Cottage City

Councilmember Glenda Johnson, Town of Landover Hills 

Delegate Ashanti Martinez, Maryland House of Delegates, 22nd District

Delegate Tiffany Alston, Maryland House of Delegates, 24th District

Delegate Andrea Harrison, Maryland House of Delegates, 24th District

Senator Ron Watson, Maryland State, 23rd District

Neighborhood Associations

Tantallon North Area Civic Association

Woodlawn Community Association, Inc.

Central Coalition

Professional Associations

DC Association of Black Psychologists, Inc.

Religious Institutions

Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Small Businesses

Inspired Events by Christina, LLC

BLKOUT, LLC

JD Global Strategies

Little Red Bird Botanicals

Jennifer Brennan Wellness

Maryland Meadworks

Kimberly Shines Media

Owl's Nest Farm

Life in Twenty-Twenty

Change Reaction Corp

Hollyhood Nailz, LLC

Other

Joe's Movement Emporium and Creative Suitland Arts Center