Moratorium placed on data center construction in rural Skagit County
Moratorium provides time for Skagit County officials to develop code to regulate siting of data centers outside incorporated cities and towns.
Skagit County’s Board of Commissioners placed a six-month moratorium for new data centers being constructed in rural areas of Skagit County. The board approved the moratorium during a meeting Monday.
“We’ve worked for generations as a community to protect the Skagit Valley for farming, fisheries and the natural environment,” Skagit County Board of Commissioners Chair Ron Wesen said in a press release. “Data centers have significant impacts, and it is important that we approach this issue carefully and thoughtfully.”
Data centers are defined in the moratorium as facilities larger than 2,000 square feet meant to house computers and related equipment or are expected to use two megawatts or more power to operate.
