SKAMANIA CO. — Another Gorge-area governing board has placed a temporary moratorium on data centers.
Skamania County commissioners unanimously passed a moratorium at their Aug. 18 meeting after eight people provided public comment in favor of the pause. Comments ranged from asking the commission to be proactive to potential negative impacts if construction is allowed, such as excessive water usage, pollution, and noise.
Washington State law allows moratoriums to be immediately put into place if a public hearing occurs within 60 days. They can be renewed every six months, with hearings required each time a moratorium is reinstated. In this case, a hearing is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 13.
As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, Hood River City Councilors passed a moratorium at its April 13 meeting, in effect until Dec. 31. Most recently, Klickitat County Commissioner Todd Andrews moved for “an interim ordinance declaring an emergency and adopting a moratorium on the acceptance of permit applications for data centers in unincorporated Klickitat County” at the Aug. 11 meeting, though the broadcast was subsequently hijacked by unknown persons posting an unsavory video, which closed the session; when it was reopened, the motion died for lack of a second. A workshop on data centers is scheduled for Sept. 3.
•••
Read the full Aug. 18 Skamania County commissioners meeting notes by Gorge Documenter Linda Zeigenfuss at www.columbia-gorge.documenters.org.
Commented