Western Governors Restrict Data Center Development Amid Resource Concerns

In two separate actions, governors in Oregon and Utah signed executive orders imposing new restrictions on data center development, citing concerns about strain on state resources. Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed his order around January 2026, establishing a higher bar for data center projects intended to protect water resources, air quality, utility rates, and wildlife. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed a separate order in September 2026 pausing unapproved requests for easements, rights-of-way, leases, land-use permits, and property sales or transfers related to data center projects on state land. The Oregon order followed a rally of roughly 100 demonstrators at the Oregon State Capitol who called for a three-year moratorium on new data center development. Kotek's pause is set to remain in effect until July 1, 2027, or until further action is taken by the Governor's Office or the state Legislature. The Utah order does not include a similarly defined expiration date in available reporting, and specific enforcement mechanisms or affected project counts for either state were not detailed in the source material. Both orders remain in effect as of their respective signing dates, with no reported end date confirmed for Utah's measure and Oregon's pause explicitly tied to a 2027 deadline or further government action. It remains unresolved how many pending data center proposals in either state are directly affected by these orders, and whether legislative bodies in either state plan follow-up action before the respective deadlines. The two orders were issued independently and are not confirmed to be coordinated, though both are described as part of a broader pattern of concern among Western governors regarding data centers' effects on land and utility resources.