Gov. Kotek expands Oregon data center moratorium

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to stop issuing air and water pollution permits for new or expanding data centers until July 2027. The directive also pauses wastewater permit applications from cities and counties seeking to support data center development, extending an earlier moratorium on construction on state-owned land.

The pause could prevent most large hyperscale facilities from moving forward on both public and private property. Amazon, which operates more than a dozen hyperscale data centers in Morrow and Umatilla counties, criticized the decision as abrupt and said it could jeopardize thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment. Kotek said the pause will allow time to review recommendations from her Data Center Advisory Committee before potential legislation and regulatory changes are considered in the 2027 session.