West Richland crowd presses for data center pause during tense council meeting
Hundreds of residents attended a tense West Richland City Council meeting and urged officials to pause data center development. The council unanimously approved interim rules that prohibit data centers in light industrial zones, ban cryptocurrency mining citywide and remove an existing noise exemption, while residents argued the measures did not go far enough. Amazon has purchased land in the city and is reportedly considering a data center project.
Hundreds of residents packed a West Richland City Council meeting to demand a broader pause on data center development. The council unanimously approved interim regulations prohibiting data centers in light industrial zones, banning cryptocurrency mining in all zones and eliminating an existing noise exemption.
Residents said the interim rules did not adequately address their concerns. The city said Amazon has purchased land in West Richland and is looking to develop a data center, making the company a focus of the debate.