Washington
After Big Tech lobbying killed the comprehensive HB 2515 ratepayer bill in the Senate, Washington's action shifted local and fiscal: Seattle passed a 9-0 one-year data-center moratorium June 9, 2026, Skagit County a 6-month pause, Spokane a 6-1 one-year pause June 22, and the Legislature trimmed a tax break via SB 6231 (GeekWire — Seattle moratorium, GeekWire — HB 2515/SB 6231, Spokane).
ILens Signals
Civic/Governance Barriers activates on moratorium-class action (C1) — governance instruments on the electoral, legislative, and regulatory surface (protocol §10; Overview Civic breakout). Capital Flows/Insurability is a dominant stressor: HB 2515 was explicitly built around preventing cost shifts and stranded-asset risk, Seattle is creating a separate rate class, and SB 6231 rolls back a standing tax subsidy (Axios, GeekWire (Seattle 9-0 moratorium), KIRO 7 (new data-center rate class)). Energy/Power (grid reliability, curtailment) and Water/Geology (mandatory water-right proof in ELEUF reports) also central (Senate bill report).
IIKey 2026 Races
None identified for the 2026-07-27 cut. No 2026 Washington federal or gubernatorial contest (Gov. Bob Ferguson’s term runs through 2028) has made data centers a defining campaign plank; the surface read is legislative (resource-disclosure and tax-exemption bills) and local (Seattle large-load pause) under Ferguson’s Data Center Workgroup follow-through (GeekWire, WA DOR Workgroup). Held pending a later sweep if legislative or municipal candidates campaign expressly on the terms-of-engagement package.
IIIMoratorium · Ban Status
No statewide moratorium (HB 2515 died). Consequential local pauses: Seattle City Council voted 9-0 on June 9, 2026 for a one-year pause on large data centers (extendable 6 months) plus grid/water/rate studies; Skagit County passed a ~6-month pause; Spokane City Council voted 6-1 on June 22, 2026 for a one-year permit halt (GeekWire — Seattle 9-0 pause, Seattle Times — Skagit moratorium, Spokane, KHQ).
IVRatepayer · Cost-Shift Legislation
E2SHB 2515 (Doglio) — required ELEUF (>=20 MW) utilities to file cost-protection tariffs preventing cost shifts, stranded assets, and adding sustainability/curtailment/clean-energy rules — passed House 51-41 on Feb. 14, 2026 but DIED in the Senate after Microsoft/Amazon opposition (DWT, Senate bill report). Enacted instead: SB 6231, ending the sales-tax break on replacement/refurbished equipment (effective July 1, 2026) (GeekWire, LinkedIn/Williams); SB 5982 aligning data centers with CETA clean-energy deadlines (DWT).
VBallot Measures
None identified. Ballotpedia's 2026 data-center ballot-measure tracker does not list Washington (Ballotpedia).
VITop Contested Sites
Quincy (Grant County) remains the flashpoint over generator emissions/air quality (former mayor's multi-year Pollution Control Hearings Board fight) and Microsoft's rural buildout (Seattle Times, GeekWire).
VIITalent · Workforce
SB 6171/HB 2515 would have directed a per-kWh fee partly to higher-education/career services to prepare workers for data-center jobs; union voices opposed local moratoriums over construction jobs (Sen. Shewmake).
VIIIData Center Cluster Size
Major hub — central WA (Quincy, Grant County), plus King/Pierce/Snohomish and eastern-WA rural counties; Vantage Quincy campus among large sites (GeekWire, PoweredByWho).
IXKey Quote
"These policies seek to protect ratepayers by ensuring new data centers are picking up the whole tab for new growth, to protect against stranded assets," said Rep. Beth Doglio, HB 2515's sponsor (Columbia Basin Herald).