• Four Democratic lawmakers intend to introduce the measure when Oregon’s 2027 legislative session begins in January
  • Oregon has already paused a data-centre tax incentive for one year, while Hillsboro has halted new approvals for 120 days

The fact

Four Oregon Democratic lawmakers plan to propose a three-year moratorium on new large data centres when the 2027 legislative session begins in January. State Senators Jeff Golden and Courtney Neron Misslin and Representatives Lesly Muñoz and Farrah Chaichi are backing the proposal. Democratic candidates Tammy Carpenter and Myrna Muñoz also support it. No bill text, size threshold, exemptions or provisions for projects already in development have been published.

The proposal follows several recent restrictions. Oregon has suspended access to a state tax incentive for new data centres for one year, and Hillsboro has imposed a 120-day pause on new approvals. Governor Tina Kotek also stopped the proposed sale of state land for a Salem data-centre project. A state advisory committee is reviewing the industry’s electricity, water, tax and community impacts and expects to publish draft recommendations by mid-September.

The assessment

A statewide pause would affect projects before construction begins. Developers normally secure land, ask utilities to study power and water supply, and seek local permits before committing to a site. If a project falls under the moratorium, that work may not allow it to continue. Developers would need confirmation that their project is exempt or protected by a cut-off date before spending more on design, utility studies or permits.

Lawmakers have not said what counts as a large data centre, whether an expansion would be treated as a new project or whether sites with land agreements, utility studies or permits would be protected. Without those definitions, a developer cannot tell whether a site is still viable or whether further planning work should stop.

For BTW readers, the issue is whether work already completed will still count. A clear cut-off date would separate projects that can proceed from those that must pause. Until the bill provides one, existing land deals, power studies and local approvals offer no certainty that a project can keep moving.

What to watch

The first bill text should define what counts as a large data centre, when the moratorium would begin and how expansions, pending applications and approved projects would be treated. The advisory committee’s September recommendations may shape those provisions. Support from legislative leaders and Governor Kotek will show whether the proposal has a path through the 2027 session.