Kotek orders pause on certain data center permits
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the Department of Environmental Quality to pause approvals of new air and water pollution permits for data centers and expansions until July 1, 2027, effectively creating a statewide moratorium. 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 Department of Environmental Quality Director Leah Feldon to halt approval of new state and federal air and water pollution permits for data center projects until July 1, 2027. Kotek said the temporary pause will allow her administration to review recommendations from a seven-member Data Advisory Committee and consider policy or regulatory changes for the 2027 legislative session. The order follows an earlier pause on approvals for data centers on state land and in state buildings.
The action 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 signatures seeking an in-person hearing on the permit. Shannon Kellogg, Amazon Web Services' vice president, criticized the order as abrupt, saying it could eliminate construction and operations jobs and disrupt billions of dollars in planned investment, while state officials continue to address broader concerns about the industry's environmental and economic impacts.