1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

Data centers are not harmless “tech buildings.” They are massive industrial facilities that can use enormous amounts of water and electricity, strain the power grid, require expensive infrastructure, create noise from cooling equipment and generators, and bring pollution risks from diesel backup generators, fuel storage, cooling systems, stormwater runoff, and construction. This could raise our electric prices and strain our water supply. That is a huge concern for Spokane because our drinking water depends heavily on the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. We should not gamble with our aquifer, our water supply, our utility rates, or our neighborhoods for facilities that create relatively few permanent jobs. Once these projects get approved, it is much harder to stop them. We need to make it clear now that Spokane residents do not support turning our city into a data center hub.