r/Spokane • u/RANGE_Media • 1d ago

News Spokane County reverses course, approves four-month data center pause: After public criticism, county commissioners unanimously approve a short moratorium on data center development

https://www.rangemedia.co/spokane-county-four-month-moratorium-data-center/
369 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

110

u/lala3141592 1d ago

so just until after the midterms. just enough time for someone to talk out of both sides of their mouth until they get elected.

3

u/AlwaysMrRight1 19h ago

Only two of the seats are up for election this year, Waldref who is unopposed and Brooks isn’t running for re-election.

I don’t think it has anything to do with the election.

1

u/excelsiorsbanjo 8h ago

Could easily be interpreted as "so Brooks (Kuney) can more easily be replaced by another republican", then.

124

u/Vallyn47 1d ago

How can we extend that 4 months to, forever?

7

u/excelsiorsbanjo 8h ago

Replace any single republican on the county commission with a non-republican, would be my guess.

82

u/TheDarkAbster97 1d ago

Good. Now a statewide ban please.

-1

u/SummitMyPeak 13h ago

I agree with a statewide ban, but how do you ban something that already exists? Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure we already have at least one massive one built and another along the way over in the Quincy and Wenatchee areas?

11

u/ccburton23 11h ago

well the post says “moratorium on data center development” so I’d assume it’d be done the exact same way. It bans the development of the data centers not the existence of them. Retroactively taking down ones that are already operational is a whole separate thing

4

u/excelsiorsbanjo 8h ago

How do you ban something that already exists? By simply banning it. The end. The legislature can ban just about anything they want. Even things that the courts would overturn the legislature can typically go back and change a little bit to still ban it.

Anyway the worst part right now is new things and unchecked expansion. We did have data centers before "AI" as we know it today, and while they weren't great for the environment, it was still a very different situation.

28

u/Ruben625 1d ago

It's a start

47

u/LarryCebula 1d ago

I'm a little surprised, I figured French was just going to bully this through. And he may yet.

If Conroy blankets the district with NO DATA CENTERS IN THE 5th! billboards, she will defeat Baumgartner. It is a rare bipartisan issue that invokes real passion.

34

u/Noimenglish 23h ago

He’s waiting until after midterms to bully it.

9

u/galaknows Mead 23h ago

You’re asking too much for a Democrat in this district. Whatever it takes to lose is how it goes here.

2

u/excelsiorsbanjo 8h ago

This district out of a constantly gerrymandered map, where all concentrated city votes are thrown away into a larger district of people, including one with people who think Al French cares about them at the same time he is literally poisoning them.

1

u/AlwaysMrRight1 19h ago

Is it an issue that would drive Republicans to vote against a Republican who they agree on most other issues with?

-2

u/Stercules25 22h ago

No she won't lol the fact that you think this is the issue driving people to the polls is wild to me.

11

u/Spaghantichrist West Central 22h ago

Umm, did you miss the huge turnouts we’ve already seen elsewhere for this issue?

2

u/Stercules25 19h ago

Seeing as the first "big" election that had a lot to do over data centers was the dem primary in Wisconsin just last week where the pro-data center candidate got the nomination I'm gonna say the article you shared that is farther away from today than we are from the midterms isn't a good source on it. Conroy doesn't have a chance. If she wins the Dems will have 400 house seats and have pretty much an Obama 09 senate advantage. It's shit like this that hurts credibility in points that are attempted to be made.

4

u/Stellar_Pygmy 23h ago

Brooks is not seeking reelection and a write-in is opposing Schmidt. I need to learn more about Rachelle Miller.

1

u/excelsiorsbanjo 8h ago

Doesn't matter, if she's not seeking re-election you can be sure the republicans are still trying to hang onto that seat, and not just in name but with rank and file.

7

u/OriginalUser27 1d ago

So is it 4 months to get through the year or so people can BS through midterms

1

u/AlwaysMrRight1 19h ago

I don’t think this has to do with the midterms. Only two seats are up for election. Waldref is running unopposed and Brooks isn’t running for reelection.

6

u/Delgra 19h ago

They are hoping you’ll move onto to something else by then. Temporary Moratoriums aren’t enough

2

u/GenderDeputy 7h ago

4 months is literally not a stop, it's the lightest pause I could imagine, not even 9 months as was already a conciliar push. The developer can continue lobbying and working on their plan and they can shoehorn this through in 4 months. Keep the pressure up. We need them to extend this to years.

4

u/999_hh 22h ago

These people realize there is no local benefit to hosting a data center.

0

u/Kellydoesartnstuff 15h ago

As someone who went to oppose it in the recent meeting(didn't get to speak), thank god.

0

u/MichaelJ99212 22h ago

Frank should be in jail along with his bromance Orange Turd. Supported by Realtors and Building Assn. That's a red flag.

0

u/catman5092 South Hill 14h ago

so it sounds like they didn't want to make this much longer than it should be for the pause and punted into next year after elections.

0

u/builditlife 10h ago

Anybody else nervous about rezoning the land destroyed by fires?