Data centers power your online activity

Washington state has earned its reputation for pairing innovation with responsibility. We believe economic growth, strong labor standards, and clean energy leadership can move forward together. That balance matters as lawmakers consider House Bill 2515 and the future of data centers in our state. The intent behind HB 2515 is understandable. Lawmakers want to protect ratepayers, ensure grid reliability, and align growth with Washington’s clean energy goals. Those are shared priorities. The problem is that this bill is not the right path to achieving them and is unlikely to solve the challenge it aims to address. Much of the debate treats data centers as something separate from daily life. That framing misses a basic reality. Data centers do not exist on their own. They exist because all of us use them. If you are reading this article online, it passed through a data center. Every small business website, online sales system, Teams call, electronic medical record, banking transaction, eme