Gov. Kotek expands Oregon data center moratorium - Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to temporarily stop issuing air, water and wastewater permits for new or expanding data centers through July 2027. The directive expands an earlier moratorium on data center construction on state-owned land and drew criticism from Amazon, which warned of impacts to jobs and investment.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek instructed Department of Environmental Quality Director Leah Feldon to pause air and water pollution permits for new or expanding data centers until July 2027. The directive also halts processing of applications from cities and counties seeking wastewater permit changes to support data centers, effectively pausing most large-scale development across the state while policymakers consider new regulations.
The action expands an existing moratorium covering data centers on state-owned land and follows recommendations expected from Kotek's Data Center Advisory Committee ahead of the 2027 legislative session. Amazon executive Shannon Kellogg criticized the directive as abrupt and lacking meaningful stakeholder engagement, while Oregon Rural Action policy director Kaleb Lay said the pause should give lawmakers time to address data centers' water and electricity use, transparency and other impacts.