Our local natural resources, power grid, and community values are facing an unprecedented corporate threat. The City of Richland has approved a temporary option agreement allowing Swiss-backed Atlas Agro to hold 275 acres of public land at the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park near Horn Rapids Road for a massive data center complex.

But here is the good news: The land sale is NOT final. The city has not legally handed over the keys yet. Our local representatives are watching to see how the public responds before signing the final transaction documents. We have a direct window to force the Richland City Council to cancel this deal.

While city officials emphasize that the physical warehouses for Amazon’s multi-billion-dollar data center projects sit just across the county line in the Wallula Gap area, the reality is that Amazon is actively partnering with Energy Northwest right here in Richland to generate the massive nuclear energy needed to fuel them.

Whether it is Atlas Agro’s 275-acre footprint on Horn Rapids Road or Amazon leveraging our regional energy infrastructure, Tri-Cities families are being forced to shoulder all the risks while corporate tech giants walk away with the profits. Public office is meant for protecting the community, not corporate grid demands.

Why We Must Reject the Zoning and Utility Contracts:

Threatening Our Rivers & Shifting Hanford Plumes: These data center complexes are incredibly thirsty, consuming up to 5 million gallons of water a day. The "blowdown" wastewater they discharge contains concentrated heavy metals (like zinc and lead) and toxic biocides. Pumping this industrial volume near Richland risks shifting the existing 60 square miles of contaminated groundwater at the Hanford site, pushing nuclear plumes and new chemical runoff directly into the Columbia and Yakima Rivers.

Skyrocketing Residential Utility Bills: This massive new electrical demand forces local utilities to undergo expensive grid upgrades. Research in other states shows that residential families in data center hubs see their monthly bills spike by an average of $33 a month just to cover corporate hookups.

Severe Air and Noise Pollution: These facilities rely on high-voltage lines and heavy industrial diesel backup generators that emit dangerous toxins. A 2025 model predicts that by 2030, U.S. data center pollution will cause 1,300 premature deaths annually. Additionally, they emit a constant, disruptive noise hum of roughly 90 decibels day and night near our landscapes.

The Heat Island Effect: Data centers generate immense heat. Venting this heat into our local air creates an "urban heat island," which can make surrounding residential neighborhoods up to 16 degrees hotter.

Millions of Tons of Hazardous E-Waste: Obsolete computer hardware used in AI models will generate up to 5 million tons of hazardous electronic waste globally by 2030. We do not want this toxic electronic trash stream near our community.

The Job Disparity: The promised economic boom is a myth. Construction workers quickly build themselves out of a job. The permanent, specialized operational roles are routinely filled by outside specialists brought in from tech hubs, completely bypassing local Tri-Cities residents.

Our Explicit Demand:

We, the residents of Richland, West Richland, and Benton County, demand that our local city councils and regional energy providers reject all final land sales, zoning changes, and utility agreements for the Atlas Agro project at the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park and all associated data center infrastructure. Protect your constituents, not Big Tech.