Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge caution on data centers; ask Richland to require bonds, separate grid costs and disclose deals
Summary
Multiple public commenters raised concerns about large data‑center proposals in Richland and the Tri‑Cities—warning about heavy water and power use, low permanent local jobs, and secret deals—and asked council to require companies to pay for grid upgrades, post decommissioning bonds, and release nondisclosure agreements.
Several residents used public comment at Tuesday's council meeting to press the council on proposed large data‑center developments in Richland and the broader Tri‑Cities region.
Connie (who gave only a first name) said data centers would consume "enormous amounts of power and water," argued the community does not get a vote and asked the council to require developers to pay for power‑line upgrades and to post decommissioning bonds so the city would not be left with abandoned buildings. "Require the bond, separate the rates, show us the contracts, or vote no," she said.
Another commenter, Christine Williams, said she moved from California and had first‑hand experience with steep utility bills. She asked for planning that balances innovation with protections for local families and small businesses and urged that the city not commit long‑term resource capacity to private infrastructure without ecological and economic safeguards.
Why it matters: Commenters and several council members said they share concerns about resource impacts. Council discussion elsewhere on the agenda included an ordinance (first reading) that adjusts the city's occupation tax on manufactured and natural gas systems and council remarks about ensuring pricing structures that address single large consumers.
What council said: Council members described a preference for mitigation measures—such as tax structures and utility terms that address large customers—rather than outright bans, and flagged the need to ensure city agreements protect ratepayers. One councilor noted the difficulty in legally defining and banning a 'data center' and endorsed progressive tax measures to address concentrated resource use.
Representative quotes: "Require the bond, separate the rates, show us the contracts, or vote no," said one public commenter.
Ending: Council acknowledged the concerns and pointed to ongoing work on taxation and agreements to mitigate impacts; no formal action on the data‑center projects was taken at the meeting.
