No data center moratorium for Richland. Here’s why they can’t
Richland city officials state they cannot adopt a data center moratorium due to an existing option agreement with Atlas Agro North America to sell land for a proposed data center. This decision comes despite strong public opposition and Pasco City Council approving its own six-month moratorium. The city, however, plans to include safeguards in any future purchase agreement with Atlas Agro.
Richland city officials announced they cannot adopt a moratorium on data center development, citing an existing option agreement with Atlas Agro North America. This agreement, signed in December, grants Atlas Agro a year to evaluate a nearly 275-acre city-owned property at 2100 Horn Rapids Road for a $500 million data center complex.
City Manager Jon Amundson stated that while a moratorium is not possible due to the agreement, the city intends to implement safeguards regarding water use, power needs, noise pollution, and utility rates in any future purchase and sale agreement. The announcement followed public outcry, with residents expressing concerns about the impact of data centers on municipal infrastructure and utility rates, and urging the council to follow Pasco City Council's recent approval of a six-month data center moratorium. The group "Tri-Cities Wa Citizens Concerned About Data Centers" has actively rallied opposition to the Atlas Agro proposal.
Atlas Agro's data center complex is planned alongside its proposed $1.5 billion Pacific Green "low-carbon" fertilizer plant, with both projects linked by a planned Bonneville Power Administration substation that Atlas Agro will fund. The city has also supported Atlas Agro with a 10-year, $20 million tax break for its fertilizer plant through Washington's Targeted Urban Area program. Other developers considering data centers in the Tri-Cities area include Amazon, Trammell Crow Co., and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is exploring a smaller facility for AI support.