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Resident urges limits and transparency for large data centers, cites 1,300‑MW request
Summary
At the July 22 Planning Commission meeting, Richland resident Terry Stewart urged the comprehensive plan to include principles prioritizing local power and water, protecting natural resources, and requiring transparency for proposed large data centers, citing an Atlas Agro request for 1,300 megawatts.
Terry Stewart, a Richland resident, urged the Planning Commission to add visible policies for large-scale data centers during the public-comment period. "Atlas Agro PGF and data set facilities are requesting transmission of 1,300 megawatts, which is 13 times what Richland uses right now," Stewart said, and called for three principles: prioritize residents and existing businesses for power and water, protect natural resources, and require operational transparency and monitoring.
Staff told the commission the comprehensive plan discussion is an appropriate place to raise those issues but said performance standards for large uses typically live in the development code. Director Rosatello noted that the subject would be covered in code updates (Titles 23 and 24) and that staff will provide Stewart's materials to the comp‑plan consultant. "That is essentially where that would live," Rosatello said, explaining the staff is beginning early edits to the development code.
The exchange did not produce an immediate policy change. Commission discussion later in the meeting returned to how development agreements and code provisions could be used to impose mitigation or monitoring conditions on large or long‑lived projects.
