The Data Center Divide
A policy snapshot ahead of the 2026 midterms. Mapping data center incentives, restrictions, and bans through legislation, regulations, and executive actions across all 50 states and 1,462 local jurisdictions.
City of Eugene
Anti-Data Center Policies
Eugene says large, modern data centers are not allowed and it will deny permits for new facilities; the sources do not say existing centers must close. A separate city order bars employees from signing data-center nondisclosure agreements.
current law · City of EugeneDetermines that the proposed data-center use at 1830 Willow Creek Circle, the former Hyundai/Hynix site, is prohibited under the property’s E-1 Campus Employment zoning.Eugene zone verification decision for the former Hyundai/Hynix site (1830 Willow Creek Circle) and proposed data center (2026)
What this means
The City says large, modern data centers are not allowed in Eugene and that it will deny their land-use and permit applications, effectively blocking new facilities. The sources do not say that existing data centers must stop operating.
People behind it
- Beyond Toxics
Proposed a temporary moratorium on data-center development in Eugene.
- Fossil Free Eugene
Co-signed the letter proposing a moratorium on future data-center construction.
- City of Eugene
Administered the zoning review and determined that large, modern data centers are not allowed under existing land-use regulations.
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- Alissa Hunter
Issued the zone-verification decision determining that the proposed data-center use was prohibited in the E-1 zone.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements3
Large, modern data centers are not allowed anywhere in Eugene; the City states it will deny land-use and building-permit applications for them.
Data centers are not specifically listed as an allowed use in Eugene’s Land Use Code and cannot qualify through an existing use category unless they clearly align with that category.
The data center use described in the Zone Verification application is prohibited in the E-1 Campus Employment zone and therefore cannot operate at 1830 Willow Creek Circle, the former Hynix/Hyundai site.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions1
The City’s zone-verification decision prohibiting the proposed data center at 1830 Willow Creek Circle may be appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, providing the applicant a legal avenue to challenge the denial.
Sources
current law · City of Eugene and proposed Lane County restriction; the precise geographic scope of the county measure is not yet specifiedMandates that Eugene city employees not sign nondisclosure agreements with or concerning data centers, under an administrative order signed by City Manager Jenny Haruyama on September 16, 2026.Eugene City Manager administrative order on data-center nondisclosure agreements (2026)
What this means
The Eugene order bars city employees from signing data-center NDAs, but it does not directly limit building, expanding, or operating a data center. Lane County was only considering a similar restriction, so the sources do not show an added county rule; Eugene’s separate zoning position is not the NDA measure being scored.
People behind it
- Jenny Haruyama
Eugene city manager who signed the administrative order barring city employees from signing data-center nondisclosure agreements.
- Heather Buch
Lane County commissioner who proposed asking county staff to prepare a board order restricting nondisclosure agreements for data centers.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements3
Large, modern or hyperscale data centers are not allowed anywhere in Eugene because the Land Use Code does not list them as an allowed use or place them within an existing permitted use category; the City will deny related land-use and building-permit applications.
A data center use is specifically prohibited at 1830 Willow Creek Circle, the former Hyundai/Hynix site, in the E-1 Campus Employment zone.
Oregon has imposed a nearly one-year moratorium on approvals for data centers proposed on state-owned land or in state-owned buildings.
Sources
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