Walla Walla County commissioners won't consider data center moratorium

Walla Walla County Commissioners Todd L. Kimball, Gunner Fulmer, and Bertha J. Clayton announced their unified decision not to support a one-year countywide moratorium on data center developments. This decision comes despite significant public comments and protests from groups like the Walla Walla Anti-Data Center League, who raised concerns about the environmental and social impacts of data centers, particularly regarding water and power consumption.

Amazon is planning to build a data center campus on 134 acres of land it acquired from the Port of Walla Walla in the Wallula Gap Business Park. This site is zoned Industrial Agriculture-Mixed, where data centers are a permitted use within the county's urban growth area. Commissioners emphasized that companies able to acquire water rights, power, and land in industrial zones should be welcomed, and that data centers should not be treated differently than other businesses with environmental impacts. They also highlighted that the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process, conducted at the state level, would clarify environmental questions.

Residents expressed anxieties about the project's rapid pace and perceived lack of transparency, especially after Amazon representatives at an open house confirmed the data center would power AI technologies, which was previously denied. While the public is not asking for a complete ban, they are seeking a pause to better understand the implications. The commissioners, however, concluded the discussion by reaffirming their support for industry in Walla Walla County and rejecting the moratorium proposal.