Cle Elum City Council Enacts Emergency Moratorium on AI Data Center Amid Resource Concerns
The city of Cle Elum has enacted an emergency moratorium on the development of a proposed $200 million AI data center. This decision comes in response to concerns about the potential impact on local resources such as electricity and water. The project, proposed by Blue Fern Development, involves a 100,000-square-foot facility that would require 20 megawatts of electricity and create up to 40 jobs. City officials, including Councilmember Beth Williams, have expressed the need for more time to study the implications of such a facility on the community's infrastructure. The moratorium aims to provide a pause for further research and consideration of how to manage the demands of large computing facilities. Despite the moratorium, the project may proceed due to a development agreement from 2002, which city officials are currently reviewing to determine its applicability to the data center. 
