Seattle City Council Votes June 9 to Enact One-Year AI Data Center Moratorium — Largest US City to Halt New Permits

Seattle's full city council is voting today on a one-year moratorium halting all new large data center permitting — a vote described as procedural after the Land Use and Sustainability Committee passed it unanimously, backed by 37,000 resident letters of support. The measure pairs with a resolution to develop permanent regulations covering electricity grid capacity, water usage, noise, and labor standards during the pause; the moratorium can be extended by six months if studies are incomplete. Amazon employees testified directly against their employer, drawing a line between the company's $200 billion AI infrastructure buildout and 30,000 simultaneous job cuts, making Seattle the largest US city to act against AI data center expansion.