Daily Digest — July 31, 2026
Oregon Governor Kills State Land Sale for $5.1B Salem Data Center
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has ordered the Department of Administrative Services to terminate a contract for the sale of approximately 32 acres of state-owned land at the Mill Creek Corporate Center in southeast Salem, according to the Statesman Journal. The land was central to Verrus's proposed $5.1 billion Oakline at Mill Creek data center project. The Governor's office stated the decision reflects a commitment to managing state assets in line with Oregon's long-term interests, community support, and priorities for affordability, responsible economic development, and resource stewardship.
The order came days after hundreds of Salem residents rallied against the proposed data center on July 27, as reported by KGW News. Opponents cited ecological concerns and concerns about electricity and water resource impacts. Verrus officials told multiple outlets that the decision was made unilaterally and without consultation, preventing the company from presenting its design, infrastructure plan, and community benefit proposals. Despite losing access to the state-owned parcel, Verrus stated it still intends to pursue the project in Salem, as more than half of the original proposed site is privately owned and the project remains under city review, per KATU.
The Salem City Council is scheduled to hold a special meeting on August 3 to consider initiating a moratorium on AI data centers and amending zoning codes, according to the Statesman Journal. Separately, Governor Kotek's Statewide Data Center Advisory Committee, established in January, is slated to discuss a draft policy report on August 4. The Hillsboro Herald published an editorial urging Salem to move quickly on the moratorium, and OregonLive also covered the governor's intervention.
Gov. Tina Kotek orders state to kill land sale for Salem data center
Statesman Journal
Oregon governor blocks sale of state land for Salem data center
OregonLive.com
Gov. Kotek orders state to cancel Salem land sale for proposed $5B data center
KGW News
Gov. Tina Kotek orders Oregon to withdraw land sale for Salem-area data center
katu.com
Salem urged to enact data center moratorium
The Hillsboro Herald
Lexington Planning Commission Recommends Strict Data Center Zoning Rules
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission voted on July 30 to recommend stringent new zoning regulations for data centers in Fayette County, Kentucky, following a six-hour public hearing with over 40 speakers, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. The proposed rules would:
- Ban major data centers (over 50,000 square feet with one or more electrical substations) entirely in Fayette County
- Restrict minor data centers (under 50,000 sq ft and 25 MW) to warehouse and light industrial zones with a conditional use permit
- Require a 1,500-foot setback from residential areas, schools, hospitals, and healthcare facilities
- Mandate noise limits of 30 decibels and comprehensive plans for water conservation, energy consumption, stormwater management, and decommissioning
- Prohibit data centers in agricultural zones
The regulatory push was prompted by DartPoints' acquisition of the former Lexmark campus on West New Circle Road for $29 million in May, as reported by WKYT and WUKY. DartPoints has since stated it will not build a large new data center and intends only to update the existing facility, per WKYT. The Urban County Council enacted a temporary moratorium on new data center permits in June, as reported by WKYT, and will now consider the planning commission's recommendation for final approval.
Lexington Planning Commission takes up data center proposal
WUKY
Kentucky city's Planning Commission to consider data center regulation
WKYT
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission to consider data center regulation
WKYT
DartPoints says it will not build large data center on former Lexmark site
WKYT
After hours of debate, complaints, Lexington planning commission advises strict data center rules
Lexington Herald Leader
$100 Billion AI Data Center Campus Announced at DOE Paducah Site in Kentucky
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $100 billion private investment to redevelop portions of its former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in McCracken County, Kentucky, into the Paducah American Energy Hub, according to ABC News and the Lexington Herald Leader. Key project details include:
- Brookfield Asset Management selected by DOE to lease land and operate the data center campus
- NextEra Energy to build and own dedicated generation resources, including 2 GW of natural gas-fired generation and 2.6 GW of battery energy storage
- Up to 1.8 GW of utility capacity and over 1.2 GW of compute capacity
- 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent positions projected
- Full construction completion targeted for 2031-2032
- Power service agreement requires Kentucky Public Service Commission approval
The project involves a coalition of local utilities — Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System — as reported by The Lane Report. Organizers stated the project aligns with President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge by building dedicated generation to shield existing ratepayers from additional costs.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was not briefed on the project prior to its announcement and was absent from the July 29 celebration event, according to the Herald Leader. His office stated he has questions regarding power consumption, environmental impact, job quality, and local tax contributions. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman echoed those concerns in comments to WPSD, calling for transparency from the involved companies and noting a pattern of secrecy from data center developers in Kentucky's rural communities. The former uranium enrichment plant ceased operations in 2013 and is undergoing environmental cleanup projected to continue until 2065 at an estimated cost of $17 billion, per ABC News.
Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Expresses Concerns Over Paducah AI Data Center Project Transparency
WPSD Local 6
Project leaders share details of DOE Paducah Site's $100B AI energy hub
WPSD-TV
A Kentucky city is getting $100B data center. The governor says he wasn’t briefed
Lexington Herald Leader
Data center campus and dedicated energy project coming to Paducah
The Lane Report
Federal government to turn a Kentucky uranium plant into an AI data center and gas power complex - ABC News
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Legacy Investing Acquires Former Star Tribune Printing Plant in Minneapolis for Data Center
Legacy Investing, a Virginia-based data center company, has purchased the former Star Tribune printing facility — a 13-acre site in Minneapolis's North Loop neighborhood — with plans to convert it into an urban data center, according to KARE 11. The printing plant produced its last edition in December. The sale price has not been disclosed, though property records indicate a market value of approximately $20 million. The acquisition was also reported by Bring Me The News and WCCO.
The project faces a regulatory obstacle: the Minneapolis City Council enacted a moratorium in May restricting new data centers over 350,000 square feet unless located within the downtown core. At 13 acres (over 550,000 square feet), the site exceeds that threshold, creating uncertainty about the project's path forward, per KARE 11.
Minneapolis Downtown Council President Adam Dunnck described the acquisition as an "exciting opportunity" and argued that urban data centers tend to be smaller, quieter, and use less water than rural facilities, pointing to existing data centers in downtown Minneapolis as precedent. A Downtown Council official also told KARE 11 that the investment could help shorten the anticipated downtown commercial real estate downturn and boost property tax revenue. Dunnck noted potential for a mixed-use development that could include housing.
Data center developer buys Star Tribune's North Loop Minneapolis facility
KARE 11
Downtown Council officials on sale of former Minnesota Star Tribune facility to data company
KARE 11
Star Tribune to sell former printing plant to data center developer
Bring Me The News
Data center company agrees to buy former Minnesota Star Tribune printing facility in North Loop
kare11.com
Data center company acquires former Minnesota Star Tribune printing site
WCCO - CBS Minnesota