Gov. Kotek orders pause on environmental permits to build or expand data centers
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ordered state environmental regulators to pause approval of air and water pollution permits for new data centers and expansions until next July. The pause could affect Amazon’s proposed hyperscale facility in Boardman, where residents have submitted comments and a petition seeking a public hearing on its air permit.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Director Leah Feldon to stop approving new state and federal air and water pollution permits for data center projects until next July. Kotek said the temporary pause would allow her to review recommendations from the state’s Data Advisory Committee and consider policy or regulatory changes for the 2027 legislative session.
The order may affect Amazon’s proposed hyperscale facility in Boardman, where an air pollution permit remains under review. Oregon Rural Action said residents have submitted dozens of comments and gathered about 700 petition signatures seeking an in-person hearing. Amazon spokesperson Adrienne Talbot criticized the pause, saying it could eliminate construction and operational jobs and disrupt billions of dollars in planned investment, while Kotek is expected to propose broader data center policies in January.