Yakima County commissioners impose six-month moratorium on data centers

The Board of Yakima County Commissioners voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare a resolution declaring a six-month moratorium on data centers in Yakima County. Commissioner Kyle Curtis made the motion and Commissioner Amanda McKinney seconded; the Board approved the action to appear on the August 11 agenda and to take effect pending that resolution.

Planning Official Tommy Carroll told the Board that county code does not currently include a specific permitting category for data centers, so applications would be handled under existing land‑use pathways, including public notice and SEPA environmental review. Commissioner Curtis moved “to direct staff to prepare a resolution for the August 11th Agenda Meeting declaring a moratorium on data centers for six months,” and the motion passed unanimously. The Board also asked staff to convene stakeholder groups and to commission economic, health and agricultural impact studies during the moratorium period.

Board members discussed limits on county authority over water rights and the potential for developers to use the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) to seek state review, which can bypass local code. Chair LaDon Linde, who said he has experience farming under drought conditions, acknowledged community concerns about water. Commissioner Amanda McKinney noted that the Washington State Department of Ecology regulates water and transfers of beneficial use, and that Yakima County itself does not regulate water rights. Staff told the Board the initial moratorium could last six months and—after a public hearing—be extended by a year at a time while the Planning Commission considers code revisions.