Governor’s bill on backup generators draws questions, concerns, support

Some Maryland state senators were skeptical on Thursday about a bill that would make data center development easier, expressing concerns about environmental, economic and power consequences of the data center industry. Senate Bill 474, the Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024, was put forth by Gov. Wes Moore. It would alter the definition of a “generating station” to exclude facilities that produce electricity for onsite emergency backup power and for test and maintenance operations.