Call to Action for Organizations: Support the Responsible Data Center Development Act
Stand Up for Oregon Communities. Rein In Harmful Data Center Growth.
The Responsible Data Center Development Act gives Oregon the tools to catch up. It pauses new construction. It sets real health and safety standards. It gives the neighbors next door a say.
Data centers are expanding across Oregon faster than our laws can keep up. Utility bills are climbing.
Water supplies are straining under the demand. Without warning, without accountability, new facilities move into neighborhoods.
Add your organization's name to the growing coalition demanding responsible data center development.
Why Does This Bill Matter?
Oregon is one of the fastest-growing data center markets in the country. Right now, there's almost nothing on the books to protect ratepayers, farmland, drinking water, or the neighborhoods these facilities land in.
The Responsible Data Center Development Act closes that gap and buys Oregon time to build the rules that should have existed before this boom started. And it puts guardrails around growth going forward.
Organizations across the state are signing on to demand the legislature act. Environmental groups. Tribal, agricultural, and community groups. Join us!
What Does This Bill Do?
The Responsible Data Center Development Act would:
Pause new large-scale data center construction for 3 years. That gives Oregon time to build a real regulatory framework before more facilities break ground.
Set enforceable performance standards for noise, light pollution, water pollution (including PFAS and nitrates), and backup generator emissions.
Require transparency. Ban NDAs that hide project details from the public. Mandate public notice, hearings, and reporting.
Prioritize residents over data centers for power and water. Let all electric utilities, not just investor-owned ones, set fair rates.
Protect farmland, forest land, and vulnerable communities with siting rules and minimum separation requirements, including for tribal land.
Create a task force to study data centers' real impact on Oregon. Require recommendations before the moratorium ends.
Who is Endorsing The Responsible Data Center Development Act?
Organizational Endorsements
1000 Friends of Oregon, 350PDX, Braided River Campaign, Breach Collective, Columbia County Resistance, Columbia Riverkeeper, DAM Data Centers, Democratic Socialists of America — Portland, Oregon, Extinction Rebellion PDX, Food & Water Watch, Friends of Smart Growth, Indivisible Washington County, La Pine Data Center Accountability, MCAT — Mobilizing Climate Action Together, Oregon Data Center Defiance, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, Oregon PSR — Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Rural Action, Oregon Working Families Party, Rogue Climate, Roloff Farms, Save Helvetia, Stoneboat Farm, Tank the Tanks, Tualatin Riverkeepers, Tualatin Valley DSA, Verde