Spokane County Commissioners debate 9-month data center moratorium
Spokane County Commissioners are debating a proposed nine-month moratorium on new data centers due to community and environmental concerns, particularly regarding water usage. As an alternative, a zoning ordinance is also being proposed that would establish rules for data center development. A vote on the matter is expected in the coming weeks.
Spokane County Commissioners recently held a public discussion regarding a potential nine-month moratorium on new data centers. This debate follows an earlier announcement by Evista, which had been in negotiations to support a proposed 500-megawatt data center project. However, those negotiations have since been paused, with Evista citing community and environmental concerns as the reason.
Environmental groups have highlighted that large data centers require substantial amounts of water for cooling servers, and there are currently unclear details on the exact water requirements of the proposed project. Commissioners Amber Waldref and Chris Jordan have put forward the temporary ban, advocating for a pause to address these issues. In contrast, other commissioners have proposed a zoning ordinance as an alternative, which would permit continued development while establishing specific rules to mitigate community concerns. Sources indicate that a majority of the commissioners currently favor the zoning ordinance over the moratorium, with a potential vote expected within the next few weeks.