1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

Today’s Oregonian says, “Economic development legislation championed by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is poised to dramatically expand the state’s tax breaks for data centers, which are already among the largest in the nation.” Stop. Just stop and think. Why would you do this? Data centers are already straining our state’s electrical grid. Greedy corporations get all the cheap power and water they want at the expense of taxpayers, first with tax breaks for already highly profitable corporations, then with higher utility bills for us. And to what purpose? Data centers aren’t providing an abundance of jobs or anything else of value. Other states are trying to rein in the industry and limit tax breaks for corporations in general and data centers in particular. Why is Oregon, historically a leader in environmental protection, about to run in the opposite direction? What would Tom McCall say? The proposal is an environmental and economic disaster waiting to happen. Reverse course now, before it’s too late.