Oregon senators: “Several issues have been raised by constituents regarding responsible data center development with our offices, ranging from local to state to federal jurisdiction.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote Gov. Tina Kotek’s data center advisory committee to convey concerns both senators have heard from Oregonians as the state panel works on solutions that balance data centers’ economic benefits with their financial impacts on utility consumers and environmental impacts on entire communities.
“Thank you for coming together to tackle the challenges posed by the rapid expansion of data centers in Oregon,” Wyden and Merkley wrote committee members. While we acknowledge that data centers are critical to American national security, can help ensure technological advancement, and create good union jobs, your work to strike a balance between pursuing economic development opportunities in alignment with sustainable utility costs and environmental impacts is critical for Oregon and the Northwest. Several issues have been raised by constituents regarding responsible data center development with our offices, ranging from local to state to federal jurisdiction.”
The Oregon senators asked the state data center advisory committee to consider the following concerns that accompany the growth of data centers around the state:
- Increasing energy demand to power and cool equipment.
- Increasing electricity costs for consumers because of increased demand.
- Water quality and quantity issues because of data centers’ use of large water volumes from surface, ground, municipal or reclaimed water sources to cool servers and prevent overheating.
- Visibility issues from steam, and noise pollution from cooling systems and fans.
- Land use decisions dealing with the rezoning of productive agricultural land.
- Tribal rights and consultation that respect treaty rights, including rights to hunt, fish, and gather food and medicine.
- Transparency and public accountability that reflect community concerns about environmental and infrastructure impacts that data centers can present for future energy and water needs, as well as impacts to utilities and municipal services.
Wyden is a cosponsor of the AI Environmental Impacts Act and has pressed Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon for answers about the impact of their data centers on water usage. He is also developing legislation to ensure that data centers pay their fair share in taxes to address the various stresses they create on local infrastructure.
“We are grateful for your work to embody the ‘Oregon way’ to hear from all perspectives and chart a path forward,” Wyden and Merkley wrote the data center advisory committee. “We stand ready to partner with you on data center policies best for Oregon.”
The entire letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.