- Seattle City Council unanimously votes to ban new data center projects for an entire year
- This gives the council time to consider the impacts of AI data centers on local resources
- Residents are fed up with higher electricity bills and no clear benefits
Seattle approved a one-year moratorium on the construction of new data centers, with the city council voting unanimously in favor of the measure on June 9, 2026, making it the largest U.S. city yet to introduce such measures.
The temporary decision targets new projects rather than pre-approved construction and cites concerns about energy use, water consumption, noise and other environmental impacts, as well as the rising utility bills residents face.
“Passing today’s moratorium does not stop AI or data centers,” Councilwoman Debora Juarez said in a city press release, noting that it instead serves to give Seattle time to develop its own regulations around future projects.
Seattle bans new data center projects
Public opposition quickly accelerated after reports emerged that four companies were studying up to five large-scale projects in and around the city, which collectively could have used 369 MW of energy, the equivalent of about a third of the entire city.
As a result, many residents have come to council meetings to voice concerns about rising electricity costs, e-waste generation, grid reliability, land use and its impacts on housing, and limited job creation related to resource consumption.
“We’ve heard from tens of thousands of residents that Seattleites should not subsidize big business’s record profits from the AI boom,” said City Council Member Eddie Lin.
This pause gives Seattle time to consider all of these concerns over the next year without having to deal with the noise of approving additional projects.
Importantly, this moratorium is notable given that Seattle is home to two of the world’s largest technology companies and the two hyperscalers that account for the largest cloud market shares: Amazon and Microsoft.
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