After weeks of relentless criticism from constituents accusing county officials of secrecy, the Spokane County Board of Commissioners reversed course on data center development Tuesday, unanimously approving a four-month pause on new permits for the centers.
County legal and planning staff had developed the proposal for the shorter pause after commissioners split 3-2 along party lines last month on a nine-month moratorium on approvals for new data centers. The facilities can be resource-intensive, housing computing equipment used to store and process digital information, including for artificial intelligence applications.
Conservative commissioners Mary Brooks, Josh Kerns and Al French joined liberal commissioners Chris Jordan and Amber Waldref in approving the pause, though French had previously suggested data center critics are “anti-American.”
Brooks told public commenters before the vote that they couldn’t weigh in on data centers because the proposal was part of the board’s consent agenda — but attendees did so anyway.
“What has been proposed with this project is hydrogen plants that will take our water and turn it into hydrogen, attached to a data center that will take our water and heat up our environment,” said Spokane resident Spencer Lambdin, referring to discussions French held with data center developer Apricus Energy Partners.
Lambdin called for French to be held accountable.
“What part of public works is that?” he said. “It is corruption. It is malfeasance.”
Spokane County residents have leveled similar accusations at French, a developer and one of the most powerful politicians in the county, since late July when a Spokane woman published documents obtained through a public records request describing his activities.
French remained silent aside from an “aye” affirming his vote. But last week, after a similarly scathing round of public comment, he defended his conduct, saying his calendar is a public record. He also said it was his responsibility as a commissioner to foster development.
The pause follows weeks of work by county staff prompted by Jordan’s and Waldref’s initial moratorium proposal, which they announced in mid-July. The four-month moratorium can be extended and is intended to give commissioners time to develop zoning regulations for data centers, according to city planners and lawyers.
Four months “is not enough,” said county resident Alexandra Biggs, who was gathering petition signatures in support of the pause outside the Public Works Building as the board prepared to meet.
Waldref echoed that concern but voted for the pause.
“I would like to see it longer … when we’re talking about facilities that could consume the same energy as one half of the entirety of Spokane County,” Waldref said.
Brooks, often considered the swing vote on the commission, is not seeking reelection this year, which means her replacement will take office just as the moratorium expires
Republican state Rep. Suzanne Schmidt is running for the commission seat Brooks currently holds, and her vote could alter how the county approaches data center developers. While Schmidt originally did not face an opponent, write-in candidate Rachelle Miller — who’s running on an anti-data-center platform — received enough votes in the primary to appear on the general ballot and is now campaigning in earnest.
