Council continues public hearing on citywide data-center moratorium after technical and environmental concerns

Spokane City Council continued a public hearing on Ordinance C36887, a one-year moratorium on accepting or processing applications to establish or expand data centers, after public testimony and council requests for more staff information. Jason Hudson, government affairs director for IBEW Local 77 and a Spokane resident, told the council he did not view a moratorium as necessary but urged “a robust regulatory framework” that addresses environmental and utility-rate concerns while still allowing jobs and apprenticeship opportunities from data-center projects.

Other residents expressed sharper environmental and public-health concerns. Rick Bocock argued elected leaders should study the history of industrial pollution in the region and said utilities and companies “don’t care about the pollution.” Devin Camacho, a Salish School Spokane teacher, cited regional hydrology and snowpack data and warned that large facilities that use evaporative cooling could strain the aquifer used by “over 600,000 people” and posed contamination risks; Camacho said a 10–20 megawatt center can consume “up to 110,000,000 gallons” of water per day and that a 100-megawatt hyperscale facility could use “528,000 gallons” per day (figures stated in testimony).

Councilmember McGatgar moved to continue the hearing and requested a staff work plan; the motion was seconded and the council voted to continue the hearing to July 29. Several councilmembers asked that staff prepare clearer public notice and an outline of the 11-month stakeholder and permitting process to be shared at the continued hearing.