1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

Support a permanent moratorium on data center development in Salem — and push for statewide protections before another community gets steamrolled by this industry. The Salem City Council voted unanimously on July 27 to begin developing a temporary moratorium after hundreds of residents showed up to fight a proposed $5.1 billion AI data center. That unanimous vote happened because the public demanded it. Now the hard part begins, and we need leadership that matches the moment. This isn't abstract. Hyperscale data centers consume millions of gallons of water daily — the Salem facility was designed to use up to 3 million gallons per day. Oregon already watched The Dalles and Prineville host these facilities and then scramble to address water use and corporate secrecy after the fact. Salem doesn't have to repeat that mistake. The moratorium buys time for real environmental review and zoning reform. Make sure that time is used, and make sure the temporary pause becomes permanent policy if developers can't meet the bar communities deserve.