Oregon Deal Forces Amazon to Open Its Books on Water and Power

In a move that could change how America builds its digital backbone, Amazon has agreed to an unusually public bargain for a new $12 billion data center campus near Portland. Finalized last year, the deal with Multnomah County trades substantial tax breaks for a level of corporate transparency that is virtually unheard of in the industry.

The agreement compels Amazon to publicly report annual water use and the sources of its electricity for the 90-acre facility. It must submit to outside environmental audits and fund local water system upgrades. Crucially, promises to be "water positive" and use 100% renewable energy by 2030 are written as enforceable local commitments, not just corporate press release fodder. If Amazon falls short, the county can claw back tax benefits.

This comes as the national scramble for data center space, fueled by artificial intelligence, strains power grids and water supplies. Officials in Virginia, Texas, and Georgia are now reportedly studying the Oregon pact as a model. For years, communities have faced a take-it-or-leave-it choice with tech giants; this deal suggests they can negotiate for concrete returns.

Amazon, needing to build capacity rapidly, calculated that accepting these terms was preferable to delays from community opposition. The result is a detailed, dozens-page contract that sets a new benchmark. County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson framed the guiding principle simply: if a company wants public incentives, the public deserves to know what it's getting.

The pact doesn't silence critics who argue a profitable behemoth needs no subsidies. But it marks a shift. As the AI boom demands more land, water, and power, communities are starting to wield those resources as leverage, moving deals out of closed-door meetings and into the light of accountable agreements.