Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Data Centers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spokane council enacts one-year moratorium on data centers after hours of public testimony
Summary
After more than three hours of public comment focused on water, energy and environmental risks, the Spokane City Council adopted an emergency one-year moratorium on applications to establish or expand data centers, voting 6–1 to pause permitting while further study is completed.
The Spokane City Council voted 6–1 to adopt Emergency Ordinance C36887, imposing a one-year moratorium on the filing, acceptance, processing and approval of applications to establish or expand data centers in city limits.
The measure, introduced by council staff as an emergency ordinance, drew a packed public-comment period in which dozens of residents, environmental advocates and community organizers urged the council to pause new data-center development to study the sector’s water, energy and noise impacts. Caitlin, speaking on behalf of Spokane Riverkeeper, said the moratorium would give the city ‘‘time to be informed by that broader state analysis’’ and avoid duplicative local rulemaking while state-level studies by the Department of Ecology proceed.
Residents testified to a range of concerns: Will Neville said that a proposed facility could demand ‘‘up to 50% of our current power demand here in Spokane County’’ and warned about aquifer draw and thermal discharge; other speakers described potential noise, air-quality and public-health effects and questioned whether large data centers produce substantial local employment. Several commenters highlighted regional coordination and urged the city to pressure county and state officials to act as well.
Council members split over narrower policy trade-offs. Several members said the moratorium was the quickest avenue to study local impacts and protect water resources; others urged care to avoid unintentionally blocking a federally backed regional ‘‘tech hub’’ that proponents say would create advanced-manufacturing jobs. Council member McCatkart (as recorded) said she could not support the moratorium as drafted because it did not carve out the tech-hub language; other council members pushed amendments aimed at closing definitional loopholes such as what constitutes a ‘‘data center’’ or a ‘‘powershell’’ power-supply facility.
Council commentary cited examples from elsewhere in Washington—Quincy and other Central Washington communities—and stressed the need for regulatory clarity about water discharge permits and closed-loop cooling. The ordinance passed after debate and a recorded voice tally of 6 to 1.
The moratorium is written as a one-year emergency pause. Council members said it will give city staff and the planning department time to assemble a study, gather technical data on projected water and energy use, and coordinate with state reviews so Spokane can develop targeted rules rather than react to rapid private investment.
What happens next: the moratorium establishes a study window for staff and will return to council as staff and council direct. Several council members urged constituents to engage county and regional bodies as well, noting that projects outside city limits could still affect the Spokane water and electric systems.
Vote at a glance: Emergency Ordinance C36887 (one-year moratorium on data-center filings) — outcome: approved, recorded vote 6 yes, 1 no. No individual roll-call names were recorded in the transcript vote tally beyond the 6–1 outcome.
