KPTV.com · September 8, 2026
SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered state agencies to immediately pause all unapproved land transactions and permits for new data center projects on public land.
The pause, which runs through July 1, 2027, halts requests for easements, leases, rentals, land-use permits, and sales or transfers of state-owned property for data centers. Kotek said the decision is meant to ensure that rapid data center growth does not shift utility and infrastructure costs onto Oregonians.
"Data center corporations are asking communities to absorb enormous demands on our water, energy, infrastructure, and natural resources, and we need to know what that means for Oregonians," Kotek said in a statement.
The order follows Kotek's previous decision to block the sale of 32 acres of state land at the Mill Creek Corporate Center in Salem, which had been proposed for a data center.
Oregon currently cannot issue a statewide moratorium on private data center development, making the land transaction pause one of the few immediate administrative tools available to the governor.
The state has previously moved to regulate the industry's utility impacts. In 2025, Kotek signed the Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility (POWER) Act. The law raised electricity rates for data center corporations by 29% while lowering rates for other Portland General Electric customers.
An advisory committee formed in January is scheduled to deliver policy recommendations by the end of the year, which Kotek plans to use for drafting legislation during the 2027 legislative session.
FOX 12 has reached out to Republican Christine Drazan, who is running for the office of Oregon Governor, seeking comment.