Salem, OR – Governor Tina Kotek announced today that she supports locally-set moratoriums on new data center development until the findings and recommendations from the Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee can be reviewed and a new statutory framework can be considered by the legislature next year. While the state lacks authority to enact a statewide moratorium, Governor Kotek supports local communities taking action.

“Data center corporations are taking Oregon out to an expensive dinner and leaving our environment, communities, and people to foot the bill," Governor Kotek said. "I ended the use of state land in a data center development here in Salem because we need to have more conversations about how to do this better. Local governments are doing the right thing in calling for a pause until we can get this right.”

Last week, Governor Kotek terminated the state's contract for the sale of approximately 32 acres at the Mill Creek Corporate Center in southeast Salem for a proposed data center project. In January, Governor Kotek convened the Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee to develop policy recommendations that will help Oregon take strategic advantage of the economic development opportunity created by new data centers and other large load industrial consumers of electricity, while striving to keep utility costs, infrastructure upgrades, and environmental impacts sustainable for all Oregonians, particularly low-income and working households and ratepayers.