Nearby resident Taylor Frazier McCollum energized the opposition by gathering over 25,000 petition signatures and leading demonstrations alongside environmentalists and local neighbors. The grassroots push halted a major commercial project that county planners had previously approved in 2024 to break ground by 2027. Local leaders remain conflicted, as Prince George's County urgently needs new commercial tax revenue following a Six Flags closure and the scheduled departure of the NFL's Washington Commanders.
Key points
Growing local fears over diesel emissions and water contamination are driving successful…: Growing local fears over diesel emissions and water contamination are driving successful nationwide resistance to massive commercial data centers.
Activists successfully halted a multi-billion dollar construction project despite initial…: Activists successfully halted a multi-billion dollar construction project despite initial formal approval from county planning officials.
Municipal leaders must balance residential environmental concerns against an urgent need…: Municipal leaders must balance residential environmental concerns against an urgent need to replace departing sports franchises and shrinking tax bases.
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The overgrown grass and weeds seem to stretch into the horizon on nearly 90 acres of empty land in Landover, Md. It used to be Landover Mall, but that closed in 2002, and the site has been mostly vacant since.
In 2024, the developer that built the mall won approval from county planners for a $5 billion data center campus, and word began spreading through the largely Black community nearby.
"I was like, 'Oh, hell no,'" said Taylor Frazier McCollum, describing the moment she learned about the project. She lived less than a mile away from it. "Why would you want to bring water-polluting, diesel-generating data centers right down the street from where people live, work, play? It just didn't make sense to me."
Frazier McCollum is one of a number of Americans whose political awakening was triggered by data center development. Across the country, community members have taken to local council hearings to voice their opposition. They've prompted — though estimates vary — about 500 moratoriums on data centers nationwide.
Armed forces across the globe are heavily upgrading rotary-wing aircraft to deliver precision strikes from extreme standoff distances. By equipping platforms with advanced, extended-range munitions, military planners are blurring the conventional lines dividing traditional aviation, unmanned systems, and cruise weapons. This evolving doctrine significantly increases survivability by letting crews strike valuable land and naval targets well beyond hostile defensive perimeters.
The FIA-certified milestone establishes a high-performance benchmark for battery-powered vehicles, demonstrating that modern electric platforms can achieve extreme velocity previously dominated by conventional supercars. The run serves as an international technical showcase for the company's proprietary battery chemistry and active chassis management systems.
The Guardian has published a new Saturday Opinion illustration that examines critical issues surrounding modern technological developments. Created as a