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County commissioner introduces nine-month moratorium resolution on large-load data centers
Summary
A Spokane County commissioner said they and Commissioner Jordan introduced a resolution to place a nine-month moratorium on large-load data centers to allow the county to create regulations aimed at protecting water and avoiding negative community impacts; the commissioner said they currently lack three votes for passage.
A Spokane County commissioner said that they and Commissioner Jordan "introduced a resolution that would place a moratorium on large load data centers for 9 months in order to create appropriate regulations for our county." The resolution, the commissioner said, is intended to give the county time to draft rules intended to protect local water supplies and address other community concerns.
The commissioner said the moratorium followed "many conversations with labor, environmental advocates," and that they had received "I think, over 1000 comments in my inbox" from residents worried about impacts. The commissioner also said it "doesn't appear, unfortunately, that we have 3 votes right now to put in place a moratorium," and pledged to keep working with fellow commissioners and stakeholders. No formal vote on the resolution is recorded in the update; the introduction is the only explicit action mentioned.
The item is currently an introduced resolution rather than an adopted policy. The county official framed the pause as a temporary measure—nine months—to allow staff and commissioners to draft "appropriate regulations" and consult with labor and environmental groups. The commissioner emphasized water protection as a core concern.
The next steps the commissioner described were continued outreach to colleagues and community stakeholders; no hearing dates or a formal vote timeline were provided in the recorded remarks.
