Spokane County leaders hear more data center concerns at meeting
Spokane County residents are voicing strong concerns about proposed data center developments, citing issues like noise pollution, environmental impacts, and a lack of transparency. County commissioners are engaging with the community, with one commissioner previously supporting a moratorium, as planning meetings are scheduled to discuss the topic further.
Spokane County residents voiced significant concerns regarding proposed data center plans during a meeting with county commissioners. Speakers like Jeremiah Hardy, Timothy Viall, and Brittany Anderson highlighted issues such as noise pollution, potential environmental damage, and insufficient community involvement and transparency from both developers and county officials.
Anderson, whose social media posts have drawn attention, specifically named Big Rock Data Center LLC and NSCALE as companies she believes are involved. She expressed frustration over a lack of substantive answers from officials regarding specific questions she emailed.
Commissioner Amber Waldref, who previously supported a data center moratorium in the county, stated she has received over 2,000 comments in four months and is working to respond to constituents. She indicated that she expects to receive more information from County staff in the coming weeks, ahead of an upcoming planning commission meeting where data centers will be a key discussion point, and a briefing by the Planning Director.