PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – The Portland City Council will consider a measure this week designed to block secret negotiations with data center developers, amid growing regional concern over the industry’s massive consumption of electricity and water.
Under a resolution scheduled for a vote Wednesday, the council urges the city administrator and top municipal officials to refuse to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding any potential data center projects in Portland. The measure also instructs city staff to immediately alert council members if an outside company requests a preliminary meeting or permit to build or expand a facility drawing 20 megawatts or more.
The resolution, sponsored by five council members, marks a pre-emptive strike against the rapid expansion of hyperscale computing hubs in the Pacific Northwest driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing…