Where in WA is at risk for destructive development?

Here are some key areas impacted or facing moratoriums:

Quincy & Grant County:

Quincy is a long-standing hub for data centers (housing facilities for Microsoft, CyrusOne, NTT Data, and others) taking advantage of Columbia River hydropower.

What we risk: Massive electricity and water demands strain the power grid (with Grant County utilizing significant local power capacity), and new infrastructure projects—such as a planned 32-mile, 230-kilowatt transmission line—are cutting through or near residential properties and increasing ratepayer costs.

Cle Elum (Kittitas County): A $200 million, 100,000-square-foot AI data center proposed by Blue Fern Development near Interstate 90 sparked immediate community pushback. The impact of this 20-megawatt facility raised alarms over local water usage and electrical grid strain, prompting the city to pass an emergency moratorium (though older 2002 development agreements are under legal review).

Skagit County: Farmers and local leaders have pushed back heavily against data center proposals. They are threatening limited agricultural land and local water supplies.

Actions taken: The county enacted a six-month moratorium on new data centers, with ongoing discussions about upgrading the pause to a permanent ban.

Seattle  &  Elliott Bay: Seattle became a flashpoint as tech expansion intersects with urban climate policies. Actions taken: The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pause new large-scale data center developments for a year, accompanied by public protests targeting AI and data infrastructure rollouts.

Other Cities and Counties with Moratoriums: Alongside Seattle, Quincy, Cle Elum, County, and at least ten other local jurisdictions—including  Burien, Federal Way, Marysville, Renton, Moses Lake, and Spokane—have adopted temporary moratoriums or pauses on new data center construction to study impacts on power, water, and zoning.  Core Environmental and Community

Risks Power Grid & Rate Hikes: High electricity loads from AI training and data processing threaten to stretch local public utility districts (PUDs), driving up utility bills for everyday residents.  

Water Scarcity: Large-scale cooling systems consume hundreds of thousands to millions of gallons of water, raising alarms in local watersheds.

Environmental Justice Concerns: A report by Front and Centered found that over 50% of Washington's studied data centers are located in census tracts with high proportions of people of color or elevated cumulative environmental health impacts.

Noise and Air Quality: 24/7 operations, high-frequency cooling hums, and diesel backup generators impact immediate neighbors

These are just some of the many things, keep using our voices to say no!