As the debate over data centers heats up in Salem, the industry is poised to grow 200 miles away in Eastern Oregon, where more than 50 facilities are already online with another in the works.
Morrow and Umatilla counties were among the first places in Oregon to welcome data centers, as Amazon Web Services began building the facilities in the area 15 years ago. Amazon has since turned the region into one of the biggest hubs in the state.
As the industry rises to the forefront of Oregon politics in an election year, its corporate leaders are defending infrastructure they say has become “critical to the way we live and work,” while politicians respond to public outcry over data center tax breaks, power costs and environmental trade-offs…