On May 9, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024 (CISA), saying, “This bill is going to supercharge the data center industry in Maryland, so we can unleash more economic potential and create more good paying union jobs.”
CISA defines and creates a legislative framework that will allow for automatic approvals of emergency backup power generation in the state. The act, which unanimously passed both the state’s House and Senate, will go into effect on July 1, 2024.
Quantum Loophole, Inc., whose Frederick Maryland campus will benefit from the act, shared the news of CISA in a press release, wherein senior vice president of public affairs at Quantum Loophole, Rich Paul-Hus, applauded the Governor and Legislature.
“Within just 20 miles of the Internet ecosystem located in Northern Virginia, Quantum Loophole in Frederick, Maryland, now has a fast-track path forward to welcoming data centers’” said Paul-Hus. “Our first-of-its-kind master-planned Data Center Communities are purposely designed to create a mutual benefit for the environment, the community, and the data center industry. Our goal is to create a growth path for digital infrastructure that helps to fund vital programs for residents throughout the state while designing a nature-first approach to industrial development.”
Quantum Loophole founder and CEO Josh Snowhorn said in the same press release, “The impact of this bill will reverberate positively throughout the entire state for at least the next two decades. Third-party economic reports equate the value of this bill to be worth at least $30 billion in capital investments over the next 20 years with over 52,000 jobs statewide and $3.4 billion in associated employee compensation during the construction phase of Quantum Frederick alone.”
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