If you're in Kent County and have something to say about data center projects, this is your chance. Kent County Levy Court is having a hearing with a proposed data center ordinance on the agenda, July 21st at 7PM.

The ordinance includes requirements around setbacks, noise levels, zoning, utilities and more. If anyone who's able to attend and speak up wants some more thorough talking points, feel free to PM.

You can find the Ordinance itself here (https://www.kentcountyde.gov/.../lc26-06-data-centers.pdf) and then sign up to participate in the Levy Court hearing at the link below or direct through the Levy Court Boards & Commission Meetings page online.

If you can't attend the meeting but still want to make your opinion known, you can find your County Commissioner and email / call them directly. Commissioners are based on districts.

This page (Elected Officials Kent County Levy Court) includes a map that outlines the Districts for each Commissioner.

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Sussex County is finally getting a Forest Preservation Ordinance. A great step towards slowing the loss of forest to development. But as-written, it still leaves too many loopholes on the table. There's a County Council vote coming up on July 14th at 1:30 PM, so this is the time to get involved and speak up. I'm going to do my best to summarize here, but take a look at what the Sussex Preservation Coalition has shared for more info and talking points. (I am not affiliated, and in full transparency I am not a resident in Sussex myself, but I am a fan of the Coalition's work and forest preservation benefits all of us in Delaware.)

What Ordinance 26-05 Does As-Written:

• The 30/50 Rule: Mandates developers keep 30% of existing forest in high-growth zones and 50% in rural areas.
• Expert Review: Requires a professional forester to assess tree health and floodplains before any clearing starts.
• No Easy Way Out: Thanks to recent Planning and Zoning decisions, developers cannot buy their way out with cash-in-lieu fees, nor can they count standard property-border buffers toward their preservation percentages.

How Can It Be Improved?

The current draft is a major step forward, but to truly protect Sussex County's natural infrastructure, we need the County Council to adopt four specific improvements:

1. Define a Real Forest: Lock in strict baselines (10,000+ square feet, 50+ feet wide, 100+ trees per acre) so developers can't exploit vague wording.
2. No Unnecessary Cutting: Ban the removal of any forest beyond the retention limit unless there is a genuine, structural necessity.
3. Mandate Maintenance Plans: Require developers to create long-term management plans so HOAs aren't left holding the bag for dying, unmanaged green spaces.
4. Boost Subdivision Canopies: Enforce strict landscape plans to ensure individual housing lots and community centers actually get shade trees.

If you're interested in making sure that continued development doesn't further destroy natural spaces, then show County Council that the community demands preservation over replacement. If you want to get involved there are a few different way to go about it:

• In Person: Attend the County Council meeting on Tuesday, July 14th at 1:30 PM.
• Call In: Join the public comment period via phone (302-394-5036, Code: 570176).
• Write a Letter: Email the County Council explicitly stating you support Ordinance 26-05 with the Sussex Preservation Coalition's recommended enhancements.

Right now, the Delaware General Assembly is looking at a number of critical bills that affect our utility costs, our environment, and our local communities. The suite of bills below directly relates to how Delaware handles data center projects that we’re seeing pop up (with an honorable mention for our wetlands!). If you have concerns about these projects, this is the time to make sure your legislators hear from you. The legislative session ends soon, and anything not passed this month would have to start fresh next session.

HB233, SB312, & SB308

These three bills work together to ensure that our local communities aren't left footing the bill for utility upgrade or put at risk of losing power.

• HB233 creates a separate energy rate class for large-use facilities, requiring them to enter into strict service agreements to pay for their own grid upgrades. That means they pay their way instead of adding their costs to your bill while they keep their profits. It also mandates that data centers are the first to be cut off from the grid during power emergencies unless they generate their own renewable energy. This is waiting on the House “ready list” and needs to get through both the House and Senate to get passed.
• SB312 would prohibit local officials from entering into NDAs with data center developers. That way we ensure we’re getting the transparency needed on these projects instead of them sneaking in without any awareness. This isn't hypothetical, these NDA deals continue to happen in other municipalities across the country. This bill has already passed the Senate, but still needs to make it through the House.
• SB308 grants the Delaware Public Service Commission the power to review the "load forecasts" (predictions of how much electricity we need) submitted to our regional grid operator, PJM. It makes sure tech giants and power distributors aren't double-counting energy needs or leaving the state vulnerable to a bad forecast. This one has passed the Senate, too, so it just needs to make it through the House.

Without these protections, the massive strain on Delaware’s electric grid will cause your residential electric bills to skyrocket and increase the risk of blackouts. 

SB9

Delaware is a low-lying coastal state, making our natural defenses against climate change more important than ever. SB9 acts to amend the Delaware Code relating to the protection of our state's vital non-tidal wetlands. These wetlands act as natural sponges that prevent catastrophic flooding, filter our drinking water, and protect local wildlife. As development increases all over the state, this bill establishes stronger guardrails to safeguard these ecological treasures instead of letting them get paved over. This bill comes out of two years of compromises between developers, realtors, environmentalists, and more. SB9 recently unanimously passed the Senate but now has to get through the House.

The legislative session is moving fast, and lawmakers need to hear from the people they represent! So, how's that work?

1. Go to the Delaware General Assembly website (legis.delaware.gov) and use the "Who is My Legislator?" tool.
2. Call and email your State Representative.
3. Let them know you live in their district and tell them: "I support HB233, SB312, and SB308 to protect Delaware ratepayers and safeguard our electric grid transparency, and I support SB9 to ensure our vital wetlands are protected. Please support these bills, and vote YES to keep these moving forward."

This is the last mad dash for our legislature so your voice goes directly towards helping them understand their constituents' priorities. Keep your friends and neighbors informed, too! The more the merrier.

Working on opening the pool this weekend and the water level seems much lower than I’d expect it based on what I had drained it to for closing. It’s been a few years since we had it installed so I’m wondering if the liner needs replaced.

Any good rec’s for someone to come check it out, and drain / fix the liner in the MOT area?

In Delaware, our wetlands aren't just scenic…they are our state's most critical natural infrastructure. But right now, some 75,000 acres are sitting in a dangerous legal gap.

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court (in a case called Sackett v. EPA) changed the rules on which wetlands the federal government protects. Because of that decision, many of Delaware’s "nontidal" (i.e. freshwater) wetlands were stripped of federal oversight. Delaware is currently the only state in our region without a state-level program to protect these freshwater areas.

That’s a problem because we all know that Delaware is growing fast. While there’s a case to be made that we need new homes and businesses to sustain growth, uncoordinated development in these unprotected areas could lead to a number of problems.

• Wetlands act like giant sponges. When they are paved over, that water has nowhere to go but into our basements and streets.
• Wetlands filter pollutants and sediment out of our water before it reaches our rivers and aquifers.
• Wetlands provide habitat for countless plants and animals key to a healthy ecosystem.
• The act as huge carbon sinks, countering greenhouse gas emissions.
• Our local fishing, hunting, and outdoor industries (which support thousands of Delaware jobs!) depend on these healthy habitats.

The Wetlands Stewardship Act (Senate Bill 9) establishes a state-led plan to manage the now unprotected 75,000 acres of non-tidal wetlands. It was built with a big push these last two years (although attempts have been made several times before), involving negotiations and compromises between environmentalists, farmers, and developers to ensure we protect our wetlands while keeping our economy moving. It accounts for strict timelines on permitting approvals and clear exemptions for common scenarios so as to avoid tying everything up in red tape. 

SB 9 has already cleared its first major hurdle in committee with unanimous and bipartisan support. As of May 2026, the bill is moving through the Senate, but it needs a push to pass the full General Assembly before the legislative session ends on June 30. If it doesn’t make it, then the process starts all over again in the next session. This bill has been in the works for long enough, and more delays could allow for irreversible damage to the places it aims to protect.

You can help. Legislators need to know their constituents are paying attention and want this bill moved ahead.

1. Find your legislators: Go to legis.delaware.gov, find the "Who is My Legislator?" box, and type in your address.
2. Send a quick note: Email your State Senator and State Representative.
3. What to say: "I am a constituent in [Town/City], and I’m asking for your support of SB 9, the Wetlands Stewardship Act. This bill is important to me because (x, y, and z). Please urge Senate/House leadership to place these bills on the agenda and vote in their favor. "

Feel free to pick up pieces of my post here and re-use it in your own letter. You don’t need to write a lengthy message; Just speaking up about a bill will help get it the attention it needs.