Your Daily Guide

Data Centers Expand

Oregon has the third largest data center industry of any state. But the industry is also growing — massively, according to reporting from Oregonian reporter Mike Rogoway, who has been following the issue: Data centers are in the process of quadrupling their footprint in the state — adding 9,100 new acres of data centers to the 2,900 acres that already exist statewide. [Oregonian]

• The downsides: Data centers’ massive use of electricity has raised fears of a sharp increase in electricity costs for average consumers, and even blackouts if the electrical grid becomes overloaded. There are also environmental concerns around the quantity of water they’re using — for cooling. [Oregonian]
• The biggest one yet: Amazon is planning a data center near the city of Boardman in Morrow County that would be the size of 1,000 football fields. There’s a term for that size of data center – “exascale” — and it could be Oregon’s first. [Oregonian]
• $120M for local officials’ company: At the same time that Amazon was negotiating with local Morrow County officials for tax breaks and land it was buying for data centers, the company paid a fiber optic business owned by local public officials more than $120 million. And last year, the Oregon Department of Justice brought civil charges against eight officials’ involvement with the company, while Amazon faces no charges. [Oregonian]
• On the podcast, we recently took a look at the drama and what it means for the industry's future. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

A 10-Dish Iguana Feast

The North Vietnamese restaurant The Paper Bridge is offering a special this month featuring an unusual delicacy: iguana, served 10 ways. If you've always wanted to try iguana cracklins with fried betel leaves, get your reservations early: they’re offering the $160 feast only one time each night. [Willamette Week]

• Related: The Paper Bridge has reservations available.

Tough Choices for Drought-Weary Farmers

The negative impacts of this winter's near-record-low snowpack are beginning to come into focus, as farmers and water managers prepare for a long, dry summer. With about half the state already experiencing some form of drought, and amount of water stored in mountain snow at only 29% its normal level, farmers have hard choices to make: in Central Oregon, one farmer is preparing to potentially buy additional water out-of-pocket; in Southern Oregon, a water manager estimates 40,000 acres in his region will simply need to go fallow. [OPB]

Who Can Even Afford To Live In Oregon?

Oregon has been losing residents in the peak of their careers — a trend that isn't helped by the fact that net international migration to the U.S. is estimated to hit only 12% of its 2024 total this year. An analysis of U.S. Census data by the Oregon Journalism Project shows Multnomah County leading the exodus, shedding 4,354 net residents in 2024. The outflow is most pronounced among people aged 30 to 50 (as well as children under 17), which ECOnorthwest researcher Aditya Gadkari interprets as a sign of our affordability crisis. [Oregon Journalism Project]