Oregon Greenlit 17 Data Centers Before a Tax Break Freeze, and Now the Backlash Is in Court

Oregon greenlit 17 data centers before a tax break freeze, and now the backlash is in court

In Hillsboro, a fast-growing tech hub in Oregon, a debate over the public's input into rapid development is now headed to court after local officials approved 17 data centers just before a state moratorium on a key tax break took effect. What happened? As Courthouse News reported, Hillsboro and Washington County moved those approvals through in a late rush connected to Oregon's enterprise zone program, which offers major tax breaks to businesses…

Lawmakers, Local Governments Warned Against Adopting Blanket Data Center Bans, Moratoriums

CHICAGO–State lawmakers and local governments responding to the national backlash against data centers should proceed cautiously before imposing moratoriums, a panel of legislators, construction trade representatives, and utility executives warned during the first day of the July 27–29 National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) 51st annual summit. “Data centers are ubiquitous to everything we do in life, like, period–full stop. They are n…

Can America Win the AI Race Without Running Dry? Non-Profit Demands Data Center Moratorium, EPA Says US C

AI's data center boom is fueling a growing clash between environmental concerns and U.S. infrastructure ambitions.

Hillsboro bans new data centers in surprise city council meeting

The city council said it kept its plans quiet to prevent the tech industry from circumventing the moratorium.

Hillsboro Moving Forward with Plan to Pause Data Center Development

Hillsboro City Council Special Meeting 7/27/26On Monday, Hillsboro city councilors approved a four-month moratorium on new data centers and battery energy storage systems. Hillsboro has the most data centers in the state with 35, but neighbors are concerned with rising costs since they started building. “City staff will continue to research the economic and environmental impacts of these facilities, while drafting potential updates to Hillsboro …