A new breed of data centers are being pushed by the tech industry to power Artificial Intelligence and other computing uses. These data centers are often massive in size, with huge appetites for water and power. They create almost no jobs after construction, and in fact often lead directly to the loss of jobs through automation. Communities across the nation are rising up to defeat data centers, and the city of Seattle recently unanimously passed a moratorium.

Data centers serve to harvest the collective knowledge of humanity for individual profit while draining massive amounts of water and electricity from our collective resources.

Today, data centers are building fossil fuel generators, siphoning electricity from hydroelectric dams and promoting experimental nuclear technology to power their profits. The state of Washington has no meaningful regulations on these massive constructs which prey on vulnerable communities and limited fresh water resources. With Washington State facing a fourth consecutive year of drought and reduced snowpack, it's crucial that we put a pause on AI data center development.

Until such a time where these unacceptable realities are curtailed by state action, it’s time for Pierce County to enact a 1-year moratorium on the construction of new data centers.

Please join us in writing to Pierce County to demand a moratorium on the construction and permitting of new data centers in our county.