Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, lgardner@spokanecity.org
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 4:17 p.m.
Today, Spokane City Council Members Paul Dillon, Sarah Dixit, and Kate Telis introduced an ordinance imposing an immediate one-year citywide moratorium on the acceptance, processing, review, and approval of building permit applications for the construction of new computer data centers; setting a public hearing; and declaring an emergency.
“Communities across Spokane have made their voice clear with concerns about hitting pause on data centers. We need a regulatory framework to address this ongoing issue as we see data centers across the country drive up utility costs and water and noise pollution,” said?Council Member Paul Dillon. “We must listen and lead to create safeguards that create a positive lasting impact for our economy and our environment.”
Considering the detrimental impacts of computer data centers in communities across the United States, this moratorium provides time for the city to evaluate its preparedness for such projects in the context of the Comprehensive Plan, Water Conservation Plan, Water System Plan, and economic development strategy. Additionally, this allows the public to express their concerns before any potential projects move forward.
"I support this proposal. The City of Spokane does not currently have the necessary framework to site and permit data centers. A moratorium will give us time to evaluate and plan for future development, while keeping neighborhood and environmental impacts at the forefront of our decision making,” said Mayor Lisa Brown.
“I support this moratorium because data center developers have not yet shown they can address concerns about water use, grid reliability, environmental impacts, and costs to ratepayers. Until proven solutions exist, I cannot support expanding data centers. This moratorium gives us time to ensure Spokane residents are protected before moving forward,” said Council Member Kate Telis.
“Energy intensive data centers have been popping up across the country with disastrous consequences,” said Council Member Sarah Dixit. “The environmental and economic impacts of this unregulated industry benefit huge tech companies at the expense of community members. The job of local government is to protect our community, and this moratorium does just that.”
Spokane City Council will be acting on this item on Monday, June 15, 2026. Members of the community are welcome to attend the meeting, as all City Council meetings are open to the public, and share their perspective on the issue before action is taken.
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