Oregon Statewide Data Center Moratorium Petition
Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State Tobias Read, all Oregon State House and Senate legislators, and all city and county leaders, and all candidates seeking office in the state of Oregon
As Democratic Socialists, we are the first to advocate for the working class and our union siblings. We should be using our resources to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and a more sustainable society. We need a Green New Deal that creates jobs that help our state, not ones that damage the very people and environment that make us who we are.
We, the undersigned, demand a moratorium on data center development in the state of Oregon.
Data centers are moving into our communities with no concern for the irrevocable harm they have on local economies, people, and places. These data centers rely on public resources, but they cause harm to the very public they rely on. We are seeing residential electricity rates rise by nearly 50% while data centers pay less than half the rate per kilowatt-hour that households do, forcing families to subsidize corporate infrastructure like the $200 million Hillsboro substation.
Furthermore, the environmental toll is staggering, with large-scale facilities consuming as much as 4.5 million gallons of fresh water per day and creating heat islands that warm land by up to 16 degrees. The push for more data centers comes in the time of a global water bankruptcy. They contribute to the creation of PFAS—forever chemicals—that accumulate and make their way to families’ food and water supplies. These chemicals create toxic effects throughout the body and even interrupt crucial biological processes.
Our schools are paying the price, too. In 2024 alone, the Hillsboro School District lost $128 million due to data center tax abatements. These facilities generate among the lowest number of permanent jobs per acre of any industry, yet they are being given enormous tax breaks. This is not economic development—it’s a giveaway.
Rising costs, availability of care and an uncertain future will impact the viability of Oregon for families, and ultimately its economy. These problems aren’t unique to Oregon, but it is because of Oregon’s uniqueness that we must protect our state. You have the chance to lead the fight to prioritize communities over corporations. Call a moratorium on data centers across the state of Oregon, from the coast to the high desert, Astoria to Burns. The health of our communities, our schools, and our environment depends on your decisive action now.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State Tobias Read, all Oregon State House and Senate legislators, and all city and county leaders, and all candidates seeking office in the state of Oregon
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned, demand a moratorium on data center development in the state of Oregon.
Data centers are moving into our communities with no concern for the irrevocable harm they have on local economies, people, and places. These data centers rely on public resources, but they cause harm to the very public they rely on. We are seeing residential electricity rates rise by nearly 50% while data centers pay less than half the rate per kilowatt-hour that households do, forcing families to subsidize corporate infrastructure like the $200 million Hillsboro substation.
Furthermore, the environmental toll is staggering, with large-scale facilities consuming as much as 4.5 million gallons of fresh water per day and creating heat islands that warm land by up to 16 degrees. The push for more data centers comes in the time of a global water bankruptcy. They contribute to the creation of PFAS—forever chemicals—that accumulate and make their way to families’ food and water supplies. These chemicals create toxic effects throughout the body and even interrupt crucial biological processes.
Our schools are paying the price, too. In 2024 alone, the Hillsboro School District lost $128 million due to data center tax abatements. These facilities generate among the lowest number of permanent jobs per acre of any industry, yet they are being gifted enormous tax breaks. This is not economic development—it’s a giveaway.
Rising costs, availability of care and an uncertain future will impact the viability of Oregon for families, and ultimately its economy. These problems aren’t unique to Oregon, but it is because of Oregon’s uniqueness that we must protect our state. You have the chance to lead the fight to prioritize communities over corporations. Call a moratorium on data centers across the state of Oregon, from the coast to the high desert, Astoria to Burns. The health of our communities, our schools, and our environment depends on your decisive action now.