Washington

Energy/Power is the dominant stressor: Washington’s 2026 debate centers on grid capacity, interconnection, allowance allocation, and cost-shifting to residential ratepayers (Axios Seattle, Tri-City Herald). Water/Geology is the secondary stressor because the pending legislation would require public reporting of water use, discharge, and source adequacy, and the debate repeatedly references water and cooling impacts (Washington Legislature bill report, NPR).

None identified. I did not find Washington 2026 federal, gubernatorial, or legislative races in which data centers are a dominant campaign issue as of May 2026; the political fight is centered in Olympia’s 2026 session rather than electoral contests (The Seattle Times, Politico).

No statewide data-center moratorium or ban is enacted or pending in Washington as of May 2026. The major state action is regulatory, not a pause: E2SHB 2515 would require large data centers (ELEUFs) to follow utility tariffs, reporting, and clean-energy/cost-allocation rules, but it failed to advance in the Senate after passing the House 51-41 (Washington Legislature bill report, The Seattle Times). I did not identify a Washington local moratorium of national significance, though local land-use review and opposition remain active around some proposed projects (MRSC).

E2SHB 2515 is the key Washington ratepayer/cost-allocation bill: it would require utility tariffs or policies to ensure data centers pay full interconnection, service, and Climate Commitment Act costs; impose ten-year minimum contracts, collateral, and exit fees; and block no-cost allowance treatment for ELEUF customers in the cap-and-invest program (Washington Legislature bill report, Senate Democrats press release). SB 6171 was the Senate companion with the same core framework, including tariffs, 10-year contracts, exit fees, and a $0.005/kWh ELEUF fee, but the session ended with the broader package stalled in committee (Washington Legislature bill report, Axios Seattle). SB 6231 also became law and removes/sets to expire certain data-center sales-and-use-tax exemptions for replacement equipment (WA Legislature bill summary).

None identified. Ballotpedia’s 2026 data-center ballot measure tracker does not list Washington among the states/jurisdictions with data-center-related measures for November 2026 (Ballotpedia).

1) Amazon/Advance Phase LLC site at Wallula Gap Business Park, Port of Walla Walla, near Pasco/Wallula in Walla Walla County — proposed 16-building campus on roughly 553 acres; highly prominent and still a major regional development story (The Olympian). 2) Richland/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-adjacent data center proposal, Richland, Benton County — proposed $500 million project, status described as under consideration in recent reporting (The Olympian). 3) Lewis and Clark Ranch / West Richland area proposal by Trammell Crow’s data division — under evaluation in recent reporting, no final decision identified (The Olympian).

NW Energy Coalition; Washington Technology Industry Association (opposition to regulation rather than to projects); Data Center Coalition; Yakama Nation / tribal representatives cited in support of stricter oversight; Washington House Republican caucus (political opposition to the regulatory bill) (NW Energy Coalition, The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times).

Inclusion criteria satisfied: Construction labor. Quincy and Wenatchee buildouts; IBEW and building trades council positions; Grant County PUD workforce testimony. Primary-source verification pending — full content in v1.2. Sub-state and labor-market analysis available in the full RAIL briefing.

Major hub. Washington is one of the country’s larger data-center states; recent reporting says the state has about 134 data centers, with major clusters around Quincy, Wenatchee, and the Tri-Cities corridor (Columbia Basin Herald).

“Washington is currently home to about 134 data centers, the majority of which congregate around Quincy and Wenatchee,” according to the Columbia Basin Herald citing legislative reporting and session coverage (Columbia Basin Herald).

The Seattle Times: Big Tech took down new data center regulations, WA lawmaker says, Washington Legislature: E2SHB 2515 bill report, Washington Legislature: SB 6171 bill report, WA Legislature: SB 6231 bill summary, Axios Seattle: Washington state lawmakers take on data center costs, The Olympian: It's official. Amazon is $5B mystery data center developer near Tri-Cities