Convening a statewide coalition to address the urgent needs in local communities and to build a comprehensive set of protections for all Oregonians, our environment, and our neighboring Tribal Nations.
Statewide coalition: Stand Up to Data Centers Oregon
Powered by concerned Oregonians and dozens of community organizations, the coalition Stand Up to Data Centers Oregon advances solutions to respond to immediate, urgent needs in local communities and to build a comprehensive set of protections for all Oregonians, our environment, and our neighboring Tribal Nations.
Our guiding pillars:
- Honoring Tribal sovereignty,
- Calling for transparency,
- Normalizing accountability,
- Groundtruthing community priorities, and
- Fostering resource sustainability.
There for you, before and when you need help
Community events
Interested in learning more about data center development in Oregon? Want to host a community talk, tour a data center development, or better understand the connections between data centers and your utility bill?
Please email us at landuse@friends.org with “data centers” in the subject line.
Legislative advocacy
Want to join us as we turn community conversations, site visits, and reports into real change? We have a strong presence in the state capitol, translating community needs and priorities into state legislative bill concepts and funding asks. We know that politicians need our support to push for solutions that take care of you, us, and the people of Oregon instead of pushing for actions that only benefit shareholder profits for big-tech corporations and hurt our state. Sign up to receive email updates on data center policy reform.
Litigation
As a tool of last resort—when things really haven’t worked and decision makers are overriding your and your neighbors, family, friends’ concerns—1000 Friends of Oregon and partner attorneys are experienced in pushing back on government wrongdoing. Check out our 2026 lawsuit against the City of Hillsboro and Washington County.
With support from the data center reform fund, we can take on 1–3 cases per year pro bono (without any charge to you). We spend about $60,000 per case. If we receive more funding, we’ll be able to offer more opportunities. Support this work by giving to the Data Center Reform Fund.
Join the coalition
Whether you’re an individual or part of an organized group of residents/businesses, please consider joining the statewide coalition, Stand Up to Data Centers Oregon.
In April 2026, 1000 Friends of Oregon began convening trusted leaders with backgrounds in water management, renewable energy, energy affordability, grid reliability, taxation, land use planning, agriculture, labor, housing, and environmental justice to address data centers in Oregon and the impact they have on our communities.
The coalition and its teams meet regularly with virtual and in-person meeting options. We cannot set our agenda without you and the thousands of Oregonians who care deeply about fixing the issues that come from our state’s outdated approach to data center development. We always welcome new members.
Interested in learning more? We’d love to have you join. Please consider signing onto the coalition. Our outreach committee will reach out to discuss coalition opportunities and answer any questions.
Steering committee
Our Stand Up to Data Centers Oregon steering committee organizes and convenes the larger coalition meetings and ensures the coalition is running smoothly.
Steering committee representatives include (alphabetical):
- 1000 Friends of Oregon
- APANO
- Central Oregon Land Watch
- Columbia Riverkeeper
- Food and Water Watch
- Oregon Agricultural Trust
- Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Oregon Rural Action
- Sierra Club Oregon Chapter
- Tualatin Riverkeepers
- Verde
Coalition members include (alphabetical):
- 1000 Friends of Oregon
- APANO Action Fund
- APANO Communities United Fund
- Beyond Toxics
- Central Oregon LandWatch
- Columbia Riverkeeper
- Earthjustice
- Food and Water Watch
- Friends of the Columbia Gorge
- Green Energy Institute
- La Pine Data Center Accountability
- Leaven Community
- Neighbors for Clean Air
- Next Up Action Fund
- Oregon Agricultural Trust
- Oregon Coast Alliance
- Oregon Data Center Defiance Coalition
- Oregon Environmental Council
- Oregon Just Transition Alliance
- Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Oregon Rural Action
- Portland Jobs with Justice
- Sacred Organizing Coalition
- Save Helvetia
- Strong Towns North Plains
- The Farmer’s Cup
- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
- Tualatin Riverkeepers
- Verde
- WaterWatch of Oregon
- Western Environmental Law Center
- Willamette River Preservation Trust
- Willamette Riverkeeper
- And a growing number of individual Oregonians from around the state!
Overview: Data centers in Oregon
Oregon is experiencing rapid data center growth. As of summer 2026, there are about 140 data centers in Oregon, primarily concentrated in Umatilla, Morrow, and Washington counties—with a smaller cluster in the Prineville area, and several scattered through the Columbia River Gorge and Portland. Multiple community impacts and concerns are making data center development the biggest land use conversation of the moment.
Why Oregon?
The data center industry is attracted to Oregon because:
- No sales tax: Oregon’s lack of sales tax can save companies tens of millions of dollars when equipping a high-end data center.
- Financial incentives: Oregon offers valuable property tax breaks, estimated to save data center operators more than $450 million in the current tax year through three separate incentive programs. That’s an increase of $126 million over 2025. Two-thirds of Oregon’s enterprise zone tax incentives went to the data center industry in 2025.
- Location advantages: In Oregon, data center companies are able to build near various fiber optic lines, including ones under the Pacific Ocean. Many high-tech data center users are located in the Pacific Northwest.
- Climate and natural resources: Hydropower provides slightly cheaper electricity to data centers, and Oregon’s temperate climate can be useful for cooling machinery.
“For decades, we’ve assumed that our industrial lands will be home to Oregon businesses that employ people—offer livelihoods in manufacturing, processing, research, and development—for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians.
But, now, data centers have challenged us and shown us that this assumption is outdated. Once data centers are built, only about 2 people are employed at the site. So, now, we’re using thousands of acres of our lands, pouring in millions of taxpayer dollars into this industry, and allowing them to take our water, energy, and land from other economic development opportunities. What are we getting for it?”
—Greg Macpherson, fourth-generation Linn County farmer,
Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission (Commissioner, 2008–2017; Chair 2014–2017), Oregon State Representative (2003–2009)
This fund is made by and for local farmers, businesses, organizations, and other community members to fight for the future of all Oregonians.
