Oregon now has 144 data centers running or in the works, according to an ECOnorthwest presentation cited by the Salem Statesman Journal. Much of the recent building boom is tied to generative artificial intelligence (AI), and communities across the state are pushing back. The Oregon State Legislature should pass a statewide moratorium on new data centers in the 2027 session and keep it in place until clear, enforceable rules protect Oregon's water, power and neighborhoods.

Residents have filled city council meetings and rallied at the State Capitol. Salem and Woodburn have already approved their own 120-day pauses. But city-by-city rules leave most of Oregon uncovered, and a short local pause can run out long before lasting standards are written.

The concerns are serious. In The Dalles, the city tried to keep Google's water use secret. A state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) official says evaporative cooling can concentrate pollutants like nitrates in water. Oregon hands data centers roughly $450 million in tax exemptions each year. And power demand has soared: Umatilla Electric Cooperative's deliveries grew from about 1 million megawatt hours in 2010 to nearly 9 million in 2024.

Gov. Tina Kotek supports a moratorium. "Oregon is saying communities deserve a voice and data centers need to be held accountable," Kotek said, according to the Salem Statesman Journal.

A pause would give lawmakers time to act on ideas already on the table. A proposal from the statewide group Oregon Data Center Defiance includes noise, light and water pollution standards, public notice before projects move forward, and an end to non-disclosure agreements between companies and local governments.

Sign the petition to urge the Oregon Legislature to pass a statewide data center moratorium in 2027, before the next wave of construction is locked in.