Agency official says Avista pause gives local governments time to review data center regulations

An agency official said feedback about future data-center development raised concerns about environmental and energy impacts and that a pause by utility Avista on data-center power requests gives local governments an opportunity to review regulations.

"I am really concerned about the impact of large data centers, especially on our environment and our energy. I am thankful Avista has paused requests from data center developers," the agency official said, urging local governments to use the pause to review rules and gather community input.

The official framed the pause as a window for Spokane-area jurisdictions to examine whether existing regulations and energy plans adequately address the scale and impacts of data-center projects. The speaker encouraged residents to participate in regulatory review and to share feedback with local leaders. No formal regulatory action or vote was recorded in the provided remarks.