If the data center industry has a friend in the Inland Northwest, it’s Al French, the county commissioner who’s spent decades building a reputation as a shrewd broker of big business development deals — and is arguably the most powerful politician in the county.
“The word ‘moratorium’ … says ‘we are closed for business, thank you very much,’” French said during a Spokane County Board of Commissioners briefing on July 21, referring to a proposal to halt new permitting for data centers so officials can learn how to best regulate them. Like many jurisdictions in the US, the county lacks even basic zoning regulations for the facilities.
“Spokane County is not closed for business,” he said…