1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support House Bill 2515, which addresses emerging large energy use facilities including data centers. This legislation is currently before the House Committee on Environment & Energy, and I believe it represents a critical opportunity to ensure responsible growth of energy-intensive industries in Washington State. Data centers and similar large energy use facilities are expanding rapidly across our state, placing unprecedented demands on our electrical grid. Without proper regulation, this growth threatens to strain our energy infrastructure, increase costs for residential ratepayers, and potentially undermine Washington's clean energy goals. HB 2515 provides a framework to manage this expansion responsibly while still allowing these industries to operate in our state. The timing of this bill is particularly important. As artificial intelligence and cloud computing continue to drive exponential growth in data center construction, we need regulatory guardrails in place before these facilities lock in decades of high energy consumption. Other states are already grappling with grid reliability issues and skyrocketing electricity rates due to unregulated data center growth. Washington has the opportunity to get ahead of these problems rather than react to them after the damage is done. I am asking you to support HB 2515 as it moves through the Environment & Energy Committee and to advocate for its passage on the House floor. This legislation balances economic development with environmental responsibility and protects residential ratepayers from bearing the costs of industrial energy consumption. Our state's energy resources should serve the needs of Washington families and businesses equitably, and this bill helps ensure that outcome. Thank you for considering my position on this important issue. I look forward to seeing your support for HB 2515 as it advances through the legislative process.