[Skamania] 🖥 The Data Center Moratorium Next Door - Skamania BOCC August '26

On August 18 the Skamania County Board of Commissioners adopted a moratorium on data center development, first by motion and then as Resolution 2026-22, both unanimous, after eight people at public comment asked for a pause. A week later, Public Works Director David Waymire told the Board the county had received zero applications for a data center. We walk through the two votes, what the Board heard before them, and what Washington law asks of a moratorium adopted before a hearing.

In This Episode

• The data-center moratorium: a motion and Resolution 2026-22 on August 18, both unanimous
• Eight voices for a pause at public comment, and a separate request about the Assessor's Office
• What state law requires after a moratorium adopted without a hearing: a public hearing within 60 days, and findings of fact
• Three fires on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and emergency management costs and the cities
• The Wind River Trust on stacking small things
• A five-year, $442,800 Motorola Flex subscription for the Sheriff's Office
• Two new Planning Commissioners, Paul Goins and Billy Wenz
• A failed striping machine, a boat-launch parking map, a new interim health officer and the stream-buffer case
• The Forest Service's roadless rule proposal, and its September 21, 2026 comment deadline
• From August 11: what the 2027 through 2029 labor agreements and the Northwestern Lake Park letter of understanding say
• On the calendar: October 17, 2026, the 60-day mark; county budget meetings at the end of September 2026; and January 1, 2027

Resources & Links

• Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.com
• Skamania County Board of Commissioners agendas, minutes and meeting audio: https://www.skamaniacounty.gov/departments-offices/commissioners/agendas-minutes-meeting-audio
• Skamania County Commissioners' resolutions page: https://www.skamaniacounty.gov/departments-offices/commissioners/resolutions
• Resolution 2026-22, in the county's 2026 resolutions folder: https://www.skamaniacounty.gov/departments-offices/commissioners/resolutions/-folder-807
• RCW 36.70.795, on moratoria: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=36.70.795
• RCW 36.70A.390, the Growth Management Act's version: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=36.70A.390
• Columbia Gorge News on the moratorium vote: https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/skamania-county-board-of-commissioners-pass-data-center-moratorium/article_acfe853d-ed41-41f7-aac2-97fc73ec2c30.html
• Gifford Pinchot National Forest fire information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/giffordpinchot/fire/info
• Wind River Trust: https://windriverwa.org/wind-river-trust
• Clark County Board of Health appoints Dr. Brianna da Silva Bhatia interim health officer: https://clark.wa.gov/public-health/board-health-appoints-dr-brianna-da-silva-bhatia-interim-health-officer
• Capital Press on the stream-buffer rule being put on hold: https://capitalpress.com/2026/09/04/judge-halts-washington-forest-buffer-rule-for-timberlands/
• Federal Register, the roadless rule proposal (comment deadline September 21, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/20/2026-16965/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation
• Join a Board meeting (Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.) on Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6276698258, or by phone at 1 346 248 7799, meeting ID 627 669 8258
• This episode's written report was cross-checked against notes from Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local, CC BY 4.0: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey there, and welcome back to Open Gorge. This is your August roundup for the Skamania Board of County Commissioners. We're covering from August 11th through the end of the month. So that's going to be August 18th through the 25th, plus a few August 11th items that we hadn't reported for but now have from the minutes. So we're starting with the big one today, that same topic you know and love, data centers. On August 18th, nine people spoke at public comment, eight came to talk about data centers, and all eight supported a moratorium. Speakers raised electricity and water that data centers used, noise and light came up, and the county's limited land, and honestly, whether a small county has the resources to handle a data center. Cindy Silise of West End said a moratorium would give the county, quote, breathing room to assess and get all the information we need, unquote. A commenter named Keith asked for a moratorium until the county decides, quote, if, where, and under what conditions, unquote, it would consider data centers. Christine of Underwood asked the county to formally back a state-level effort to introduce statewide moratorium legislation in 2027. Doug Lovelace, Theresa Robin, and Mary Grode backed moratorium too, and so did Alice Myers of Stabler and Mary Repar of Stevenson. Here's how it got to a vote. Data centers weren't on the agenda that day. A speaker proposed adding a discussion about having planning take a look at them, and the board took it up under meeting updates. During that discussion, one speaker said, quote, we get the facts first, unquote. That speaker pointed to the store at all quarry. Once an application is in, the speaker said, quote, that binds us to certain procedures and processes, unquote. Then Commissioner Rob Ferris moved to, quote, approve a moratorium on data center development in the county, unquote. Commissioner Asa Lecky seconded, and the vote was unanimous. Before the meeting adjourned, Ferris moved a second time and Leckie seconded again. This time it was resolution 2026-22, moratorium on data centers, also unanimous. On August 25th, Public Works Director David Weymire told the board, quote, so just for the record, we have had zero applications for a data center, unquote. That day, a commissioner called the moratorium, a response to other questions in the community, and that these data centers seem to, quote, pop out of nowhere at a rapid pace, unquote. So if you're wondering what happens next, here's what state law says. In Washington, a county board can adopt a moratorium without holding a hearing first. Then it has to hold a public hearing within 60 days of adoption. Then it has to adopt finding a fact, the written reasons behind it, either before that hearing or immediately after it. On August 18th, the board was told the hearing probably come at its October 13th meeting. Sixty days from August 18th is Saturday, October 17th. One more from that morning's public comment. The first speaker, Tracy Bowlby, of Stevenson, came on her father's behalf about something else. She asked the board to look at what safeguards apply when the assessor's office staff change assessment records on property they own or have an interest in. She also said, quote, I'm not asking the board to assume these changes were improper, unquote. Moving now over to the forest, Gifford Poncho National Forest Supervisor Johanna Koverick joined the August 18th meeting online. She named three major fires on the forest, including the High Lava Fire, northwest of Stabler, this one in Scamania County. And on the 18th, a speaker reported going with the sheriff to North Bonneville about the emergency management contract. They said, quote, the county's largely subsidized the cities, unquote, and with costs rising, there needs to be some buy-in. To wrap up the 18th, Jeff De Bell of Wind River Trust led a workshop on the historic Wind River site. He described a cycling event across the creek, run by a Portland bike shop with a coffee shop in Portland too. DeBell said, quote, So I'm thinking, why can't this be from Carson or Stevenson? And the answer is just that they don't know each other, right? Unquote. Then he said, quote, it's stacking all these small things together that eventually has a larger impact, unquote. Now to August 25th, and the Sheriff's Office, its records and dispatch software moved to a five-year Motorola Flex subscription. After a workshop that day, the board approved it September 1st on the consent agenda. The routine items the board approves together in one motion, it runs about $86,000 a year, with a bigger first year. Over five years starting in 2027, that's $442,800. Next, the Planning Commission. It had two open seats in District 2, and the board interviewed applicants in August. On August 18th, Mary Repar, who also spoke a public comment, said, the environment comes first to me, unquote. On August 25th, Paul Goynes asked how the county can move forward, but quote, still maintain that small town feel, unquote. That same day, Billy Wentz said, quote, I think locals are really priced out of housing, unquote. On September 1st, after a fourth interview in an executive session, the board voted unanimously to appoint Goynes and Wentz. Moving over to roads, Clark County normally brings its striping machine to Skimaney County's roads under an agreement between the two counties. That machine has failed, so on September 9th, the board hired specialized pavement marking of Tulaton, Oregon for just over $34,500. And on August 25th, Weymeyer said PublicWorks made a map of passenger car parking at Home Valley Park. It was shared with anglers and guides, so clients can park there and carpool to the launch. What's cool about solutions like this is that a surprising amount of shared infrastructure issues are often information issues. There's a reason that signage, maps, and searchability can often be really good bang for our buck on how we improve access to shared resources and resolve, say, an ongoing issue that we've heard about in a few episodes here about parking overcrowding. It's an action. So I'm looking forward to seeing this in action for Anglers and our other recreational community here in Scamania. A few more from August 25th. Clark County Public Health began providing health officer services to Scamania County under contract in 2019. That day, community health director Tamara Sissel told the board that Dr. Brianna de Silvabatia was expected to be named Clark County's interim health officer. The Clark County Board of Health appointed her August 26th. Now for a court case. On August 25th, a commissioner updated the board on the lawsuit over the state's wider buffers along streams without fish on western Washington timberland. In May, the board voted to join a friend-of-the-court brief on that case. That's called an amicus brief. On August 21st, Thurston County Supervisor Court Judge Christine Schaller upheld the rule, a ruling against the side the board has backed. On September 3rd, she put the rule on hold while timber groups appeal. And a last item from the 25th, the roadless rule. The Forest Services proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Repar, the only public commenter on the 25th, called the proposal, quote, unacceptable and very dangerous, unquote. Later in reports, a commissioner said, quote, I think the roadless rule needs to go away, unquote. The proposal set a comment deadline of September 21st, 2026. Let's go back to August 11th. The board approved three labor packages that day without debate, when we reported on August 20th. Two union contracts, one for public works, one for managers, run 2027 through 2029. The raises are 4%, then 3%, then 3%. Employees who aren't in a union get cost of living adjustments on the same schedule. And anyone hired on or after January 1st, 2027 can bank up 500 hours of sick leave instead of 1,000. The board approved a non-binding letter of understanding with the Conservation Fund. The fund would buy Northwestern Lake Park on the White Salmon River from Pacific Court. And then it would sell the park to the county with state money paying for it. The county commits to a deed restriction keeping it a public park. So here are future dates to keep in mind. October 17th, 2026, 60 days after August 18th, will be the end of the state law window for a moratorium hearing. The board heard would probably come October 13th. Its minutes through September 9th have set no date yet, but we'll keep an eye on that. The board was also told on the 25th that county budget meetings would begin at the end of September, 2026. And on January 1st, 2027, the new labor agreements take effect, and the Motorola Flex term will begin. For the full written version, you can find links to law and county records at thedispatch at scamania dispatch.com. This report was cross-checked against norths from Columbia Gorge Documenters powered by Uplift Local. You've been listening to a production of opengorge.org, home of the Scamania Dispatch and the Clika Taddler. We believe that informed communities are stronger communities. To support our work and stay up to date on everything happening in the gorge, head over to ScaniaDispatch.com to sign up for our newsletters. You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.comslash opengorge. Join the conversation and share your thoughts on today's episode. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll talk to you next time.