Cascadia today: Will Seattle limit data centers? OR universal health care bill + First Nations declare BC coastal preserve

Good morning! I'm back from a lovely backpacking trip near the Gray Wolf river on the Olympic peninsula – it was the perfect time to go, with Pacific rhododendron and fairly slippers in bloom. Highly recommended – it's good to take a step back from the world and enjoy the natural beauty of Cascadia every now and then.

Will Seattle place limits on AI data centers?

The Urbanist takes a detailed look at legislation the Seattle city council is considering legislation that would place a one-year moratorium on data centers in Seattle City Light's service area. Three mega-data centers are in the works in the Seattle area: two in SoDo and one in Tukwila. Meanwhile Oregon Capital Chronicle has a great feature on the Yakama nation's opposition to a green energy storage facility on land that has cultural significance to the tribe and an ancient archeological site. The piece uncovers that the energy facility will likely be used to power data centers.

“And I say: For who are we building? We’re going green now for data centers. We’re not going green for Washington and Oregon state mandates. We’re going green for data centers.” --Elaine Harvey, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

ICE agent questioned about racist tweets in Spokane trial

RANGE Media covers the felony conspiracy trial of three protesters in Spokane, including questioning in court of an ICE agent who was discovered to have had a Twitter account in which he wrote racist, sexist and transphobic posts. The defense questioned the credibility of his and other agents' assertions that they felt threatened by the protesters (despite the fact one was caught on body cam calling protesters "fucking cunts" and bragging that he looked forward to beating them with a baton). The trial continues this week – follow coverage with RANGE Media.

Oregon scholar details universal health care measure

Willamette Week interviews Chunhuei Chi, a health finance expert who's a member of Oregon's Universal Health Plan Governance Board, which is working out the details of a single-payer universal health care plan for the state. The bill must be submitted to the legislature by Sept 15, and will likely be on the ballot in 2028.

This is an important step toward building resiliency and autonomy for Cascadia – learn more about Oregon's path toward universal health care at Health Care for All. Washington, are you listening?

First Nations declare protected reserve on BC coast

The Tyee reports that six First Nations have a declared an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area on BC's central coast, protecting 6,700 square kilometers of coastline and preventing a new oil pipeline terminal. The area, which was created after signing an agreement with BC and Canada, will be known as the Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon, which means "realm of the salmon, home of the salmon."

A rundown of who's on the Portland Fire

The Portland Mercury looks the roster of the debut Portland Fire WNBA women's basketball team, with profiles of the key players and their chances in this first season. The first cross-Cascadia rivalry game against the Seattle Storm will be on June 17 at Moda Center. Anyone in the Rose City care for a little wager? 🏀

Thanks for reading. Keep loving and keep fighting. --Andy