Tacoma was among at least 19 Washington locations where protests against large AI data centers were scheduled Sunday, Oct. 4.

Washington AI Resistance organized the rallies to pressure state lawmakers into imposing a moratorium on large data centers before the Legislature's January 2027 session, the Seattle Times reported. Demonstrations were also planned in Spokane, Walla Walla, Moses Lake, Olympia, Cle Elum and Bainbridge Island.

The statewide push comes as Washington data center electricity use soared 37% between 2021 and 2024, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. Protesters want lawmakers to act after House Bill 2515 (HB 2515), a data center regulation measure, stalled in the state Senate this spring. Lobbyists for Microsoft, Amazon and other tech companies opposed the bill.

Evan Sutton, a Washington AI Resistance spokesperson, said the protests targeted that inaction.

"The hyperscale AI data centers are really a pretty new technology, and we still don't understand the full impact in terms of the resource demands, the potential pollution and other impacts on communities," Sutton said on Oct. 4.

Tacoma already blocks large data centers

The city is ahead of many Washington municipalities on the issue. Tacoma's Planning and Development Services Department issued a Director's Interpretation clarifying that stand-alone data centers cannot be permitted under the city's existing zoning code. At-Large Councilmembers Latasha Palmer and Olgy Diaz announced the ruling in a joint statement on July 8.

Palmer and Diaz said in that statement that residents had raised concerns about data centers' effects on utilities, infrastructure and neighborhood noise.

City spokesperson Maria Lee said in August that stand-alone hyper-scale data centers over 200,000 square feet or consuming more than 20 megawatts are not allowed. Smaller co-location centers, where computing equipment takes up less than 50% of the space, are still permitted. Two operate in Tacoma: Colocation Northwest at 1101 A St. and Cogent Fiber LLC at 2210 S. 35th St.

"We are strictly enforcing state law in order to protect our industrial waterfront, which guarantees data centers are strictly prohibited from all our Seaport zoning districts," Lee told the Tacoma News Tribune on Aug. 24.

Pierce County acts too

Pierce County Council voted 6-1 on Aug. 25 to pass an emergency ordinance banning new data centers over 10 megawatts in unincorporated areas for one year, the News Tribune reported. Council Chair Jani Hitchen said the ban was preemptive. No applications were pending.

Councilmember Dave Morell cast the lone dissenting vote, calling the measure an "abuse of the emergency process."

The ordinance notes that the Clover/Chambers Creek aquifer is the sole drinking-water source for most of unincorporated Pierce County, and data centers can consume large amounts of water for cooling. Local Tacoma and Pierce County Democratic Socialists of America chapters sent more than 2,500 letters urging the county to pass the moratorium.

A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. in Pierce County Council Chambers.

Why energy costs matter here

In Northern Virginia, data center demand drove up power-capacity costs by about $9.3 billion in 2025-26, according to Monitoring Analytics, an independent market monitor for the PJM grid, as the Seattle Times reported.

Washington's Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is drafting guidelines to prevent large power users from shifting costs onto other ratepayers. A draft policy statement is expected this fall, with a final version by year's end.

What comes next

State Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, a co-sponsor of HB 2515, said on Sunday, Oct. 4 that he supports a moratorium and believes the stalled bill does not go far enough. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, has not committed to a moratorium but said negotiators were close to a deal on data center regulations this year.

Seattle, Renton, Spokane, Burien, Federal Way, Marysville and Skagit and Snohomish counties have all passed temporary bans on large data centers. The Legislature's January 2027 session will determine whether Washington adds a statewide layer.

Tacoma residents can weigh in on Pierce County's ordinance at the Oct. 20 hearing.