'It doesn't benefit us': Seattle votes for year-long ban on new AI data centers

• Seattle City Council votes unanimously to ban new data center projects for an entire year
• It buys the council time to consider AI data centers' impacts on local resources
• Residents are fed up with facing higher electricity bills and no clear benefits

Seattle has approved a one-year moratorium on the construction of new data centers, with the city council voting unanimously in favor of the measure on June 9 2026, making it the largest US city yet to introduce such measures.

The temporary move targets new projects rather than pre-approved builds, and cites concerns over energy consumption, water use, noise and other environmental impacts, as well as the rising utility bills that residents face.

"The passing of today’s moratorium does not stop AI or data centers," Councilmember Debora Juarez saidin a city press release, noting that it instead serves to create time for Seattle to develop its own regulations...

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