Seattle leaders’ proposed one-year ban on data centers met with strong support

SEATTLE — City leaders are considering a one-year ban on new data centers in Seattle, and many residents are overwhelmingly on board.

Councilmembers Debora Juarez, Eddie Lin, and Council President Joy Hollingsworth introduced the year-long moratorium after reports that four companies have gone to Seattle City Light with proposals to build five large-scale data centers in the Seattle area.

Along with the legislation, councilmembers are also weighing a resolution that would require the city to study how these data centers impact city infrastructure, water usage, utility rates, public health, and more.

The drafted resolution defines data centers as “facilities consisting of housing and infrastructure (heating, cooling, lighting, offices) to support servers (computers), data storage systems, networking equipment, uninterruptible power supply batteries, or backup power generators.” Demand for the centers is growing as the AI industry expands, sponsors said.

On Wednesday, the city’s Land Use and Sustainability Committee was briefed on the proposed ban, and the Parks and City Light Committee discussed the resolution. Neither committee took a vote. However, dozens of people voiced support for the moratorium during public comment periods.

“Public utilities should prioritize public needs, including climate, over the profit interests of big tech,” Rebecca Wood said.

Residents’ concerns about data centers ranged from rising utility rates to increased pressure on the city’s power grid and environmental harms across the Seattle region.

“We are in a climate crisis. We know this, and it is time for us to act urgently. Building data centers is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing,” Alecia Gaussoin said.

Seattle already has roughly 30 small data centers. The large-scale centers in question would be the first of their size in the region, and they would have a combined maximum demand of 369 megawatts — enough to power about 300,000 homes — according to city officials.

“Comparing the 30 that we have in Seattle to the ones they are trying to build here is like saying my bearded dragon is the same as Godzilla,” Evan Sutton said during public comment.

The resolution also calls for cooperation from the mayor’s office in creating policies to guide future legislation and budget appropriations.

Both city committees are expected to vote on the proposed one-year ban and resolution June 3. If passed, the moratorium would take effect immediately.

This is a developing story that will be updated.