Take Action: Protect Public Lands from Greedy Data Centers

Senator Merkley: Oppose public land giveaway for data centers’ water!

The proposed giveaway of 150 acres of public land from the Mt. Hood National Forest to The Dalles in HR 655 would set a dangerous precedent that could be replicated across the West. 

Make your voice heard now to ensure that Congress does not give away public lands in Mount Hood National Forest.

Senator Wyden has opposed HR 655. Now we need Senator Merkley to do the same. 

Senator Merkley must act to ensure that data centers and associated energy and water development in Oregon stay off public lands, and that their development does not harm rivers and streams like the Dog River and Hood River, other water users, roadless areas, and already imperiled salmon and steelhead in the Hood and Columbia rivers.

Make your voice heard now to ensure that Congress does not give away public lands in Mount Hood National Forest.

Dear Senator Merkley, 

We are looking to your leadership to oppose HR 655 and stop the proposed transfer of public lands in the Mount Hood National Forest to do an end-run around critical water, endangered species, forest and other protections, and to cut out stakeholder engagement.

The City of The Dalles’ effort to “cut red tape” is in fact an effort to steamroll public engagement from local, regional, and national stakeholders who care about cold water, salmon recovery, agriculture, public lands, and much more. Bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act are not “red tape”: they protect the water we drink, the fish we eat, and the air we breathe. They protect the health of our kids, our communities, and our public lands.

The City of The Dalles is home to some of the largest data centers in Oregon, and they are growing. The federal government should not reward some of the richest corporations in the world with a public-land giveaway that undercuts stakeholder involvement and undermines water, fish, and other natural resource protections.

We are calling on you to join Senator Wyden in opposing HR 655 and to protect our communities from exploitation by wealthy and powerful corporations.