Data Centers Pay Back Their Communities | Portland News

Portland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 17, 2026 · 1m

Congresswoman Andrea Salinas just dropped a bold new bill to make tech giants pay back their communities: the Data Center Community Reinvestment Act. It taxes electricity used by massive AI-fueled data centers at one cent per kilowatt-hour, funneling revenue into five key federal programs — from cleaning up toxic waste sites to repairing roads and boosting clean energy infrastructure. As these power-hungry “hyperscale” facilities multiply across the country, the bill aims to ensure towns don’t just host them but benefit from them. Meanwhile, Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek is taking her own…