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Governor Washington, Bob Ferguson, signed a presidential decree formed by the team to evaluate the use of energy, state tax revenue, and employment creation.
This order is followed by a Seattle Times Properica survey last year on clean energy and economic impacts in the data center industry that disturb the state’s backbone, the backbone of modern Internet. The data center (a structure like a warehouse filled with a computer server) receives the largest corporate tax deduction in Washington. They require a huge amount of electricity. This is a need for growing only as an increase in dependence on artificial intelligence.
“Washington must continue to be a leader in technology and sustainability. These experts will help us do it,” Ferguson said in the news release. “This group will help balance industry growth, tax revenue, energy restrictions, and sustainability.”
Ferguson’s order is one of his fastest actions since he took office this year, allowing the work group of state officials and industry stakeholders, studying the influence of data centers, and studying the impact of the data center. We recommend a policy that balances growth and tax revenue, energy restrictions, and sustainability. Presidential ordinance. According to the Governor’s office, it includes rugged tax incentives for the data center industry.
State Council encouraged the dramatic growth of the data center industry by providing a tax cut to rural areas under the name of bringing work. Last year, Times and Propublica grows into some of the most environmentally friendly counties in Washington, and the ability to gradually respond to fossil fuels while stepping on steps. He reported that he was threatening.
2022, GOV of the time. News organization reported that Jay Inslee has prevented efforts to study the use of data center power. State parliamentarians include the provisions for measuring the power data used by the data center in a bill that expanded the tax cut in the industry. Inslee signed a law to expand tax deductions, but refused to study.
Insley’s office said last year that the research was duplicated by a regional power planner that created a wide range of predictions on the use of data centers on the northwestern part of the Pacific coast. Nevertheless, there are no institutions or organizations that have not specifically evaluated the increase in energy demand in the industry in Washington, or have not evaluated the impact of the state tax deduction on the power network.
According to the industry tracking website BaxTel, Washington was the home of at least 87 data centers.
Ferguson’s work group is led by a revenue bureau, a state institution that is responsible for determining the qualification of the data center for tax deduction.
The Washington tax reduction at the data center is a snowball type as one of the largest corporate prizes.
The Ferguson team includes tax incentives, clean -energy goals, regulations on environment and public interest businesses, and private representatives in the labor organization and data center industries.
In addition to investigating the use of energy, Ferguson’s office stated that work groups will review data on industry employment creation. This is an important measure to understand the success of Washington’s tax incentive program, which has been protected from transparency and accountability for many years.
It is unknown how many high -wage technical employment has created tax incentives at individual data centers, as it is not allowed to say to the state revenue staff.
According to the Governor’s office, the group has been working to create surveys and recommendations by December.
