Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee

Oregon is experiencing unprecedented demand from large-scale energy users including data centers and artificial intelligence, creating a need to establish clear siting criteria and assessment protocols before further development occurs across our state's landscape. Proactive planning in partnership with local governments is essential to protect Oregon's iconic forests and farmlands, sustain thriving local economies, and preserve affordability for all Oregonians.

Governor Kotek convened the Data Center Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for a comprehensive regulatory framework to strategically pursue economic development opportunities, in line with the work of the Governor's Prosperity Roadmap, while ensuring utility costs, infrastructure investments, and environmental impacts remain sustainable and equitable for all residents, especially low-income and working families.

Committee Members

Name	Title
Margaret Hoffman, Northwest Power and Conservation Council	Co-Chair
Michael Jung, Energy and Climate Policy Professional	Co-Chair
Dan Dorran, Commission Chair, Umatilla County	Member
Greg Dotson, Associate Professor, University of Oregon	Member
Bill Edmonds, Adjunct Professor, University of Portland	Member
Tim Miller, Director, Oregon Business for Climate	Member
Jean Wilson, Operating Partner, Sandbrook Capital	Member

Notice of Public Comment Period

A public comment period on the Data Center Advisory Committee’s Preliminary Learnings and Questions document will open after the document is published during the week of September 8, 2026, and will close after 45 days.

The Data Center Advisory Committee welcomes public input as it develops recommendations for Oregon's approach to data center development.

Given the high level of public interest in this topic, the Committee will provide an opportunity for Oregonians to submit comments through an online form rather than limiting public input to specific listening sessions. The Committee is grateful for the strong engagement by Oregonians over the last several months. The Committee has held over 9 hours of public listening sessions, as well as accepted comments at the end of each meeting, and will now hold a public comment period in response to the Preliminary Learnings and Questions document (coming the week of September 8). This approach allows people to share their perspectives on their own time and helps the Committee hear from as many voices as possible, including people who may not be able to participate in a meeting at a specific date and time.

To receive the report and be notified about when the public comment period begins, please email: datacenter.ac@oregon.gov.

Committee Meetings

Meeting Info	Materials
Meeting 7: Committee Discussion and Deliberation of Draft Report August 4, 2026 \| 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Meeting Recording
Meeting 6: Additional Considerations and Deliberations July 31, 2026 \| 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Meeting Recording Presentations DCAC Process Overview Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Oregon Department of Education ECOnorthwest
Meeting 5: Data Centers, Energy Affordability, Revenue, and Incentives June 26, 2026 \| 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Meeting Recording Facilitator's Meeting Summary Presentations: Nolan Moser & Bret Stevens Roger Gray Robert Echenrode Bob Jenks Anahi Rodriguez Mark LeBel, Luisa Eberle, & Jay Griffin Michael Saladino Alex Albertine & Michael Held Mike Gorman Torrie Philippi Griggs Jody Wiser Tricia Mooney Ellen Harpel
Public Listening Session June 2, 2026 \| 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Join online via Zoom Passcode: 439060	Members of the Data Center Advisory Committee will be online to hear public comments regarding data centers in Oregon. All attendees will be given 3-5 minutes to share their perspectives on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meeting 4: Data Centers and Energy May 29, 2026 \| 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Meeting Recording Facilitator's Meeting Summary Presentations Edith Bayer Christine Golightly & Ed Sheets Trustee Lisa Ganuelas Gabe Tabak Joshua Basofin Natalie Hathaway Humaira Falkenberg John McFarland Hamody Hindi Ellen Zuckeman Pete Wyckoff Elaine Hart
Meeting 3: Land Use April 24, 2026 \| 9 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Agenda with Speakers Meeting Recording Facilitator's Summary Presentations: Leigh McIlvaine Tamara Mabbott Dan Dias Alison Hoagland Sam Diaz Ben Gordon Diane Brandt
Public Listening Session April 17, 2026 \| 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.	Members of the Data Center Advisory Committee were online to hear public comments regarding data centers. Meeting Recording
Meeting 2: Water March 27, 2026 \| 9 a.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Meeting Recording Facilitator's Summary Data Centers and Water Dialogue Draft Presentations: Josh Hatch - Water Use Ivan Gall - Water Availability & Permitting Mike Kucinski - Water Quality and Permitting Julie Carter and Elijah Cetas - Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Niki Iverson and Dan Dias - City of Hillsboro Matt Klebes and Dave Anderson - The Dalles Kelly Campbell - Columbia Riverkeeper Eric Quaempts - Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Eric Means and Peter Gray - Trout Unlimited Rose Poton - Verde Mark Morgan - City of Hillsboro Beau Schilz - Amazon Suzie Shin - Google/The Dalles Derek Smith - Resource Innovation Institute Rachel O'Connor - Environmental Defense Fund Bobby Cochran, Peter Maille, and Trevor Hildebrand - Portland State University
Meeting 1: Economic Development and Workforce February 27, 2026 \| 9 a.m. - 2:35 p.m. Held online via Zoom	Agenda and Meeting Notice Agenda with Speakers Meeting Presentation Presentation by Steve Forrester Presentation by Jeff Omelchuck Meeting Recording Facilitator's Summary

Public Comments

The committee will dedicate 30 minutes at the end of each meeting for public comment. The Committee co-chairs also plan to hold listening sessions dedicated entirely to public comments (dates TBD).

Comments during meetings should be specific to the topic area and on the State's interests relative to that topic for each meeting. Non- or multi-topical comments will be welcomed at the general listening sessions.

Individuals wishing to participate in topical public comments must request a 2-minute time slot via email to datacenter.ac@oregon.gov.

Please include:

Name
Meeting Date and Topic
A Brief Summary of Comments (that focus on the State interests in the topic).

15 Slots will be booked on a first-come-first-served basis and a balancing of comments received that the facilitator will announce. Priority may be given to those who have not spoken at prior meetings to assure the committee hears many voices.

Resources

Please contact:

datacenter.ac@oregon.gov