SALEM, Ore.-Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced the formation of a statewide Data Center Advisory Committee on January 20.
“As our state faces rapid growth of data facilities, we must have frank conversations about the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Governor Kotek said. “I expect the Data Center Advisory Committee to help ensure economic growth while protecting affordable power and Oregon’s critical water resources.”
The seven-member advisory committee, which includes Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran, of Hermiston, will develop policy recommendations for the growing expansion of new data centers across Oregon.
“The Data Center Task Force is an important working group for Umatilla County to be a part of,” said Commissioner Dorran. “I think it is important for our voice to be heard and to share the reality of the partnerships we develop with all economic development partners, including data centers.”
According to Governor Kotek’s Office, the Data Center Advisory Committee will propose policy to take advantage of the economic development opportunity created by new data centers and other large industrial consumers of electricity, while striving to keep utility costs, infrastructure upgrades, and environmental impacts sustainable for all Oregonians.
“It is not just Umatilla County, but several rural counties that have been working with data centers and their industrial needs for almost two decades,” Commissioner Dorran said. “When you understand that data centers are digital manufacturing centers in a digital world, context is much different than just referring to a big concrete building.”
The Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee’s report will be due to Governor Kotek no later than October 2026.
