The Eugene city chambers were packed to full capacity of ~120, with more than 50 people turned away at the door before it even began. 72 people signed up to give public testimony. Some wore matching shirts that read, “No data centers – not in Eugene, not anywhere”. Out in the courtyard, a full-sized guillotine attached to a bike trailer read “NO DATA CENTER”. The guillotine made an appearance this past July at a Salem city council meeting after news broke of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) between the city and Verrus tech corporation, which kept plans secret for a $5B hyperscale data center.

During public comment, many people demanded a ban on NDAs in the context of data center permitting and development, saying that it’s unacceptable for the city to keep hidden any plans that impact residents. Many of the councilors stated they wouldn’t sign an NDA on this topic. Two days after the council meeting, the city manager signed an order officially instructing councilors not to sign an NDA.

Mayor Knudson concluded that “hyperscale data centers aren’t an allowable use in our city”. What she should have said is that hyperscale AI data centers aren’t mentioned one way or the other in our city code. They aren’t explicitly allowed or banned, there seems to be no legal language about them one way or the other. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s impossible for them to be built here. Rather than leaving any potential loopholes, it’s important to push for explicit laws prohibiting any data center construction.

“They [megacorporations] do what they want, buy off politicians to create the rules that work for them and break the rules that don’t because they know they can take the consequences… Musk’s xAI facility in Southaven Mississippi has continued to fuel its data centers with 27 unpermitted gas generators despite a recent EPA ruling… The Microsoft DataOne facility in New Jersey… was caught running dozens of unpermitted gas generators and doing unpermitted construction, they’re also in a lawsuit for violating noise ordinances.” – T. Abbatoy, Public Testimony 9/14/26

The next city council meeting is scheduled for December 14^th, where council will discuss the topic at greater length followed by a few hours for public comment.

This is a pivotal time where council can either opt to add restrictions such as size, location, allowable cooling methods or they can pass an ordinance to ban data centers from Eugene entirely. The latter is within their power and we can demand it. No size restrictions or environmental guardrails can make hyperscale AI data centers safe for the health of the people, the animals, the environment.

“Water is life, water is sacred, it should be treated as living intelligence that is more important that any one of us… We have a duty as speakers, as two-legged people, to advocate for those who cannot speak, for all the animal and the wildlife who is already suffering because of us.” M. Scott (AKA Solei), Public Testimony 9/14/26

Multiple cities in California, New Jersey, and Texas have already passed ordinances banning data centers. It is entirely possible and it has already been done. We don’t have to accept anything less than a complete ban.

“I stand here as a protector of this earth and everyone in it. Let me be clear, I do not consent… I’m disgusted by the depravity, destruction, and lack of humanity that data centers have already shown this world… I call to permanently ban all data center development in Eugene so that we might be an example of resistance to the rest of this earth – our future depends on it.” – C. Owen, Public Testimony 9/14/26

An internet search for “eco-friendly ways to cool a data center” results in multiple websites and articles claiming that there are plenty of green energy solutions. But remember this: the very minerals necessary to create and power data center servers are mined from the earth, destroying sacred lands that belong to Indigenous peoples both within and outside of the U.S.

There is no such thing as a sustainable mining industry. There is no such thing as a sustainable data center. Ban them all before we have to smash them all.