In a massive victory for the dedicated community members who fought for it, Governor Kotek just ordered Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality to halt new air and water permitting for data centers until July 2027 while the issue is addressed during the upcoming legislative session. 

Food & Water Watch Oregon Organizing Manager Lilli DiPaola released the following statement:

“This is a monumental moment for the Oregonians who have made it clear that we don’t want water intensive data centers that will only raise our bills and make it harder to reach our climate goals. We urge this to be just the first step towards regulating the aggressive Big Tech industry already harming Oregonians. This temporary pause will give communities breathing room from more data center development, but we still need a three-year moratorium to give enough time to determine the full impact on Oregonians and the necessary protections. We urge our leaders to support the Responsible Data Center Development Act (LC710) next session.”

This announcement is coming during of a wave of grassroots action against data centers – including a powerful rally last month attended by hundreds of Oregonians who called on the state legislature to pass a statewide moratorium on new and expanding large-scale data centers. 

Food & Water Watch has been encouraging the state to support a three-year moratorium on data centers. The group has also called for a national pause on data center development and has released hard hitting research reports outlining the need for a national moratorium.