8 AI policy moves you should know about — week of June 22, 2026
The data-center moratorium wave reaches Denver and Baltimore; Seattle goes fully effective; Oregon suspends its tax exemption; Spokane votes again; and the Seminole Nation holds its landmark data-center / GenAI ban.
A busy week for data-center regulation. Two major cities quietly crossed the finish line in May and June while coverage focused elsewhere. Seattle's emergency moratorium — the highest-profile of the wave — moved from enacted to fully effective after Mayor Bruce Harrell signed Council Bill 121214. And out in Oklahoma, the Seminole Nation's March data-center / generative AI moratorium continues to stand as the first such action by any tribal nation in the country. Here are the eight developments that mattered most this week.
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MORATORIUM
1. Seattle's data-center moratorium is now fully effective
Seattle, WA · Effective as of June 9, 2026After Mayor Bruce Harrell signed Council Bill 121214, Seattle's one-year emergency moratorium on new large data centers (>20 MVA) took effect immediately. The law gives the city up to 18 months total (including a six-month extension option) to develop permanent grid, water, and land-use standards. Existing facilities are unaffected.
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MORATORIUM
2. Denver passed a 13-0 one-year data-center moratorium in May
Denver, CO · Effective May 19, 2026Denver City Council voted unanimously 13-0 on May 19, 2026 to freeze new large data center development for one year while the city drafts permanent land-use, grid, and water-use standards. The sweep confirms Denver joins the growing Rocky Mountain / Pacific West front of the moratorium wave.
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MORATORIUM
3. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed a data-center moratorium with a 10 MW threshold
Baltimore, MD · Effective May 2026Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed a one-year moratorium on new data centers with 10 megawatts or more of peak electricity demand. The 10 MW threshold is notably lower than Seattle's 20 MVA or Denver's cap, catching mid-size facilities that other cities' laws might miss.
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MORATORIUM
4. Oregon suspended its data-center property-tax exemption program
Oregon (state) · Effective June 5, 2026Oregon HB 4084, effective June 5, 2026, suspends new applications to the state's data-center property-tax exemption program — a program that previously offered up to 15 years of tax relief to attract investment. The suspension reflects growing legislative concern that the incentive no longer reflects the public interest given rapid data center growth and grid strain.
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PROPOSED
5. Nashville's data-center moratorium advances; Mayor signed supporting executive order
Nashville, TN · Passed first reading 26-1; second reading set July 7, 2026Metro Nashville's proposed data-center moratorium passed its first Council reading 26-1 and Mayor Freddie O'Connell signed Executive Order 59 directing all Metro departments to support passage and pause large data-center permit processing in the interim. The second reading with public hearing is July 7, 2026.
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NEW LAW
6. NAIC AI Model Bulletin: 24 jurisdictions now on record for insurer AI governance
United States (federal/multi-state) · 24 state adoptions as of April 2026As of April 2026, 24 U.S. jurisdictions (23 states + DC) have adopted the NAIC Model Bulletin on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers, creating binding AI governance expectations for insurer underwriting, claims, and marketing AI — without any federal legislation. Holdouts include FL, GA, NY, OH, TN, and TX.
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PROPOSED
7. Spokane's data-center moratorium vote moves to June 22
Spokane, WA · Vote advanced to June 22, 2026 council meetingSpokane City Council members advanced the June 22 council meeting as the next vote date for the proposed one-year data-center moratorium after the June 15 vote was delayed. Council members are still working to narrow the ordinance so it targets hyperscale facilities without inadvertently blocking smaller community-benefit data centers. Approximately 5,000 constituent messages have been sent in support.
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MORATORIUM
8. Seminole Nation of Oklahoma's data-center / GenAI moratorium holds at the three-month mark
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma · Effective March 7, 2026The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma's Tribal Council voted 24-0 on March 7, 2026 to impose a moratorium on new data centers and generative AI deployments on tribal land — the first such action by any tribal nation in the U.S. The moratorium passed unanimously and remains in force as the Nation works to develop permanent sovereignty-based standards for data infrastructure.
The moratorium wave is no longer confined to coastal cities — Denver, Baltimore, Nashville, and Spokane show it has spread to every region. What separates this week's news from last year's is the policy mechanism: where 2025 was about emergency votes, 2026 is about regulatory follow-through, with cities from Charlotte to Imperial County working to turn temporary pauses into permanent land-use frameworks. The Oregon tax-exemption suspension and Baltimore's 10 MW threshold show that state and city governments are now willing to use economic tools, not just zoning, to shape where data centers land.