Seattle council moves to ban AI data centers

Seattle City Council approved a one-year emergency moratorium on new large data centers on June 9, 2026, after weeks of public opposition and warnings from officials about electricity demand, water use and land-use impacts. The 9-0 vote paired Council Bill 121214 with Resolution 32204, which orders city departments and the mayor’s office to study how the facilities would affect the power grid, utility rates, jobs, public health and local land use. Council leaders said the action followed reports in April that four companies had approached Seattle City Light about building five large-scale facilities in the city. Those projects would have had a combined maximum demand of 369 megawatts, which the council said was roughly enough electricity to power 300,000 homes. ### What exactly did the council vote to stop? Council Bill 121214 bars the filing, acceptance, processing or approval of applications for the establishment or expansion of certain data centers in Seattle, according to the city’s legislative record. The moratorium applies to facilities defined by the city as data centers with power capacity above 20 megavolt-amperes and requiring uninterruptible power. Existing facilities can continue to operate, and smaller facilities below that threshold are not covered by the emergency pause. (council.seattle.gov) The June 9 action was not framed by council sponsors as a permanent ban. Councilmember Eddie Lin, the prime sponsor, said the measure was intended to pause new siting while the city completed impact studies and considered longer-term rules. Councilmember Debora Juarez said the moratorium “does not stop AI or data centers” but pauses development while the city examines effects on “people and land.” (seattle.legistar.com) ### Why did Seattle move after April? April 30 was the date councilmembers Debora Juarez, Eddie Lin and Council President Joy Hollingsworth publicly announced plans for the moratorium. Their release said the proposal was driven by concerns about infrastructure, water usage, utility rates, land use, jobs and public health. Lin said “thousands of Seattleites” had made their views known and argued residents should not subsidize large AI-related projects. (council.seattle.gov) Hollingsworth said the city needed more information about second-order effects, including utility rates. Mayor Katie Wilson had already said on April 18 that Seattle had not authorized or permitted any new data centers. Wilson said the prospect of “massive new data centers” had raised “intense public alarm” and that her office was exploring long-term policy options, including a moratorium. ### How big were the projects under discussion? Seattle City Council said on June 9 that four companies had approached Seattle City Light about five large-scale data centers. (council.seattle.gov) The council said the projects’ combined maximum demand was 369 megawatts. Seattle City Light later said the council’s moratorium covers facilities using more than 20 MVA, a level KUOW reported was enough to power about 4,000 homes, citing utility spokesperson Julie Moore. (wilson.seattle.gov) KUOW reported that one proposed site sat on industrial land south of the Spokane Street Viaduct. GeekWire reported that more than 50 people testified at the June 9 meeting and none spoke in favor of the projects. ### Did anyone argue against a blanket moratorium? Jon Scholes, president and chief executive of the Downtown Seattle Association, told KUOW the measure was “a blunt policy that could create unintended consequences.” Scholes said policymakers should pursue a more targeted approach that addressed land use, energy consumption and community impacts while preserving investment. (council.seattle.gov) (kuow.org) Councilmember Robert Kettle voted for the moratorium but sought language emphasizing support for the data needs of existing businesses, government entities and health care facilities, KUOW reported. That amendment underscored that Seattle’s action was aimed at supersized new projects rather than all digital infrastructure. ### What happens next inside City Hall? (kuow.org) Resolution 32204 directs Seattle departments and the mayor’s office to analyze effects on electrical-grid capacity, water usage, utility rates, land use, local jobs and public health. The moratorium lasts 365 days and can be extended for an additional six months if city officials decide more time is needed. (kuow.org) Seattle City Light said on June 12 that it was preparing rate changes for data centers across its service area so that new energy and transmission costs would fall on tech companies rather than individual ratepayers. Later this summer, according to KUOW, the utility planned to roll out those rate changes beyond Seattle proper, including in Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Renton, Normandy Park and unincorporated King County. (council.seattle.gov) (kuow.org)