Data centers emerge as hot-button issue in Oregon gubernatorial race

Last Tuesday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek appeared at an anti-data center rally in Salem where she announced she now supports a moratorium on new data centers. As OPB reported, the announcement shows Kotek has abandoned the cautious approach she had previously taken on an issue that’s gaining momentum with voters and raising the stakes in her bid for reelection in less than two months. 

Within hours of Kotek’s announcement, gubernatorial opponent state Sen. Christine Drazan told KATU that she too supports an immediate pause on data centers and that they should provide benefits for communities that host them, among other requirements for approval. That’s a shift from just a few weeks ago when Drazan told OPB that she doesn’t support ending existing tax breaks for the roughly 120 data centers in the state. 

Think Out Loud features OPB political reporters Dirk VanderHart and Lauren Dake explaining all this in the latest episode of the OPB Politics Now podcast.

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