In Hillsboro, petition seeks pause on new data centers amid energy and farmland concerns

Residents in Hillsboro, Oregon, are pushing for a temporary moratorium on new data center development in Washington County, which has become a major hub for these facilities. Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair initiated a petition calling for a pause to allow local leaders to study the long-term impacts of data centers on the economy, environment, and energy use. Sinclair emphasizes that a moratorium is not a permanent ban but a call for accountability and transparency regarding energy demand, land use, environmental impact, and tax fairness. Concerns among residents and local leaders include a nearly 50% increase in residential electricity rates, while data centers pay significantly less per kilowatt-hour, leading to subsidies for infrastructure like a $200 million substation. Tualatin Riverkeepers reported that data centers consumed 11.4% of Oregon's electricity in 2023, with large facilities potentially using up to 4.5 million gallons of water daily. Additionally, tax abatements for data centers have reportedly cost the Hillsboro School District $128 million in 2024, prompting calls to reallocate funds to public education. Dirk Knudsen, a community leader and editor of the Hillsboro Herald, highlighted severe strain on PGE's power grid, noting that some newly finished data centers in Hillsboro lack power and face three-to-five-year waiting periods. Lifelong Hillsboro resident and farmer Jacob Roloff voiced concerns over the irreversible loss of world-class farmland to private data center profits, questioning the benefit to the community. These local efforts align with broader state-level discussions, as Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced a statewide Data Center Advisory Committee in January to address similar concerns. Adding to the debate, a bill that sought to rezone 1,700 acres of farmland for industrial development and expand tax breaks for large companies, including data centers, was defeated last month. Despite an agreement by data center companies in Hillsboro to purchase 10% of services from local vendors, proponents of the moratorium argue that more comprehensive considerations are needed to ensure data center growth benefits the community.