Seattle To Explore Moratorium On Data Centers

A letter writing campaign overwhelmed Seattle City officials with more than 60,000 letters demanding a moratorium on new data centers last week. And those letters didn’t merely shout into the void: Several City Council Members and Mayor Katie Wilson promised to explore new policies, including a moratorium. But advocates told The Burner that the public must keep pushing until a policy gets across the finish line. As Ben Jones from 350 Seattle said, “Seattle needed to pass a moratorium yesterday.” 

Earlier this month, the Seattle Times reported that four companies inquired with Seattle City Light about potentially building five large-scale data centers. Those data centers would demand as much as 369 megawatts, which is around a third of what the city uses on an average day. Later, one company canceled its plans, leaving three companies seeking to build four data centers, according to MyNorthwest. 

The news sent Seattle environmentalists into a tailspin. Advocates from climate crisis group 350 Seattle organized a letter writing campaign to demand the City Council and the Mayor implement a moratorium on the construction of new data centers. 

The group’s Action Network page read, “Our region’s resources—from water to power to space—are already stretched thin. Now four companies want to build 5 large scale AI data centers, requiring as much electricity as ⅓ of the entire city. This is 30 times more energy than existing local data center facilities.”

It went on, “[d]ata centers raise electricity rates and emissions. They’re a threat to water supplies and to grid stability. Because of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) we don’t know yet which companies are behind these proposals, where they want to build, or what kind of power they hope to get. But none of the possible outcomes are good for the people of Seattle or our neighbors.”

City officials were quick to respond. 

“As data center development accelerates across the country, we are looking closely at jurisdictions that have both supported and opposed data centers, along with the policy implications tied to grid capacity, environmental sustainability, cost to ratepayers, water consumption and community impact,” Council President Joy Hollingsworth wrote in an email to The Burner.

Hollingsworth said she supports “protecting Seattle, our ratepayers, the environment and our infrastructure while we take the time to fully understand the impacts of data center growth and what responsible options look like.”

While there seems to be support for the policy, it is unclear who will take up the issue. Council Members Eddie Lin and Alexis Mercedes Rinck told The Burner they were in the early stages of exploring a potential moratorium on data centers. At the same time, Hollingsworth said that Council Member Debra Juarez, Chair of the Parks and City Light Committee, has been working on the issue for three months. 

The Mayor is also on the case. In a statement to The Burner Friday, Wilson wrote, “I share community concerns about environmental justice, economic resilience, and impacts of increased costs for Seattle rate payers. That’s why my team is working closely with Seattle City Light, City Council and stakeholders to identify a range of long-term policy approaches, including exploring a moratorium on siting new centers.”

She also clarified that the City has not authorized or permitted any new data centers. 

While this is clearly a positive response, advocates aren’t celebrating until they get their moratorium.