The Woodburn City Council has enacted a 120-day moratorium on the development of data centers, one of the most contentious political flashpoints in the country.

The moratorium, which the council approved Monday unanimously, prevents the city from considering any new applications for the next three months. During that time, Woodburn officials will analyze the potential impacts to the environment, city regulations and overall quality of life.

While Woodburn has no current or pending data center applications, city officials previously said that California-based company Verrus had been exploring building a center within city limits. A spokesperson from Verrus told OPB on Tuesday that the company has looked at Woodburn, but has no near-term plans to develop in the city.

Woodburn City Manager Scott Derickson said it’s unclear if the city’s infrastructure could handle the staggering amounts of water and power that data centers typically require.

“The water impact to our system would be significant,” Derickson said. “It could exceed the capacity of the city’s ability to provide water to a single project.”

It’s unclear if Woodburn is even allowed to allocate the amount of water needed by data centers under the city’s current water plan, Derickson noted.

“It’s the scale of these developments,” Woodburn Community Development Director Chris Kerr said. “They’re just beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.”

The moratorium comes as data centers have become a focal point for midterm elections in November. The centers have proven largely unpopular with voters, with about 70% of Americans saying they oppose construction of data centers in their area, according to a Gallup Poll published earlier this year.

It’s been an especially hot topic in Oregon, which has more than 130 data centers to date. Hillsboro and Salem have passed temporary bans on new data centers. Salem, specifically, is set to host the first of three town halls on the topic on Tuesday.

The Woodburn moratorium comes one month after several residents asked the city council for some restrictions on data centers. Most cited concerns about the potential impact on utility costs, public health and agriculture.

Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, who’s seeking reelection, said last week she supports a statewide moratorium on new data centers. Her Republican opponent, state Sen. Christine Drazan, has said she supports cities enacting local bans on the centers. Both candidates have criticized one another’s stance on the issue in campaign materials.

Woodburn’s moratorium can be extended up to six months, if necessary. But some residents say they want further action, pushing the Woodburn City Council to ban data centers entirely.

City Councilor Mark Wilk said he’s not sure if they can do that.

“But what I do know is that we can put rules in place… to determine whether or not a data center is compatible with our ability to continue to thrive as a city,” Wilk said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/15/woodburn-moratorium-new-data-centers/