Gov. Tina Kotek says she now supports a data center moratorium
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced her support for a statewide moratorium on new data centers and issued an order to state agencies to immediately pause unapproved requests for state-owned property for data center projects. This move marks a significant escalation in her stance amidst growing public opposition and calls for legislative action next year. She is now the most prominent Democrat in Oregon to advocate for a sweeping statewide ban.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has announced her support for a statewide moratorium on new data centers, escalating her position on an issue that is generating significant public outrage. Appearing at an anti-data center rally outside the Capitol in Salem, Governor Kotek publicly called for lawmakers to pass a temporary ban when they convene next year, stating, "We must protect Oregon." This makes her the most prominent Democrat in the state government to advocate for a sweeping policy barring data centers, signaling a shift from her previously cautious approach.
In addition to her vocal support for a moratorium, Governor Kotek issued an order directing state agencies to immediately halt unapproved requests for various transactions involving state-owned property for data center projects. This includes easements, rights-of-way, leases, rentals, land-use permits, and sales or transfers. The impact of this order on proposed data centers is not immediately clear, but state agencies were required to submit status reports by September 14 if work on proposals had been paused. She emphasized that while this is what she can do under current law, more action is needed from the Legislature.
The Governor's actions come as data center development in Oregon, particularly in rural areas like Umatilla and Morrow counties and The Dalles, has flourished, with companies like Amazon and Google heavily invested. However, public pushback has grown, with polling indicating extreme skepticism toward these facilities; 36% of Oregon voters favor a moratorium, and nearly 75% oppose tax breaks for them. This issue has become a key point in Kotek's reelection campaign against Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan. Kotek has criticized Drazan for voting against the POWER Act, a bill allowing regulators to set special rates for high-volume energy users, while Drazan has criticized Kotek for previously supporting tax breaks for data centers, though Drazan herself states she would not roll back existing incentives.