Breaking News: Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai, who is a candidate for the Commission Chair Race, is proposing a Data Center Moratorium for Washington County. The Press release on this important matter is posted below.
Meeting Info: Commissioner Fai will present her Moratorium proposal at the Clean Water Services meeting and at the Washington County Board meetings as follows:
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 5:30 PM
Board of Directors for Clean Water Services (CWS)
Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building Auditorium
155 N. First Ave., Hillsboro, OR 97124
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88104646094
Watch it online: https://www.youtube.com/@CleanWaterServices/streams
And the County Commissioners’ meeting directly follows that at 6:30 PM in the same space:
You can attend that meeting in person or watch it on Zoom here and catch it live on You Tube here- https://www.youtube.com/@WashingtonCntyOregon/streams
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. —Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai will bring forward a proposal on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to temporarily pause new data center and AI computing facility development and permitting within the legal and regulatory authorities of the Washington County Board of Commissioners and Clean Water Services Board of Directors.
The proposal follows Governor Tina Kotek’s support for locally adopted moratoriums on new data center development while Oregon works toward a more comprehensive statewide framework.
“Data centers and AI computing facilities are expanding rapidly, and local governments need the time and information necessary to make responsible, long-term decisions,” said Commissioner Fai. “A temporary pause gives us an opportunity to provide our community with greater certainty, to understand the cumulative impacts and establish clear, practical guardrails before so future development can move forward reasonably without shifting costs onto residents”.
Fai is asking her Board of County Commissioners to consider temporarily pausing new data center applications and development within Washington County’s applicable land-use and permitting jurisdiction.
Separately, acting as the Clean Water Services Board of Directors, the Board would consider temporarily pausing acceptance or approval of new data center-related applications, permits, development reviews, or other approvals that fall within Clean Water Services’ legal and regulatory authority throughout the CWS service district.
The pause would provide time to evaluate impacts on sanitary and stormwater systems, water and energy use, electrical grid capacity, land use and infrastructure, as well as the broader fiscal impacts associated with data center development.
Fai is also calling for greater examination of tax incentives, public infrastructure and administrative costs, and how the financial benefits and burdens of data center development are distributed among the County, schools and other public agencies serving the same communities.
“Before we approve more, we should understand the complete picture,” Fai said. “That means asking not only whether a project can be accommodated, but whether our policies protect public infrastructure, safeguard taxpayers and deliver a fair and measurable net community benefit.”
The proposal would not impose requirements on cities within Washington County or interfere with their independent land-use and permitting authority. Instead, it focuses specifically on authorities exercised by Washington County and Clean Water Services.
Fai intends to bring the proposal forward for Board discussion.
The Herald’s take: OPINION – First of all, this is way overdue. Councilor Fai is very brave and is showing courageous leadership on an issue like this. And this, along with her other work on the Council, receives constant objections from the other 4 seated County Commissioners. We expect to see fireworks when this meeting is held, given the massive pushback she received and the apparent threats of action against her when she let the other Commissioners know she was convening a Data Center Task Force led by residents of Washington County. One would have thought the world was coming to an end when the resulting exchanges happened. You can see all of that play out in the video from the event posted to the County YouTube Channel.
Now, this is well worth a watch, as you will see Chair Kathryn Harrington come unglued and hear from the others about how they felt about her plans.
Her opponent in the race for the Chair’s seat is sitting Washington County Commissioner Pam Treece. Here is what the transcripts show Treece had to say about Fai’s announcement that a Data Center Task Force would be convened.
“I think one of the things that I’d like to state here is that it’s important for all of us…to be representing clearly what the county’s role is in relationship to the problems that are being proposed by the community and to the municipalities. It’s really one of one of the one of the things that I worry about the most is a clear understanding of what the County’s role is versus what the municipality’s roles are in relationship to data centers. We should be watching and being very well-versed in what’s happening at the city of Hillsboro and supporting accurate factual information so that they can portray that to the to the communities. The degree to which we enter into their business ….. because our role is clearly around assessment and taxation only. We do not have an enterprise zone. We do not have a data center. So in my role here, if I am approached, when I am approached by a community member, my role and my job is to refer them to the appropriate governmental body for their concerns.So that is why I will be continuing to say you need to be talking to Hillsboro. I talk to Hillsboro council members or their staff if I have questions. But I do not want our job to be misconstrued, and that’s what I worry about the most here. If the question is related to taxation assessment and our role in relationship to state law, that’s fine, but that’s where it starts and that’s where it stops. Thank you. That concludes my remarks.” Commissioner Pam Treece.
