Google data centers Oregon tech expansion Mount Hood National Forest The Dalles land use AI policy tracking data center construction public land acquisition Isabelle Reksopuro map

Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro built an interactive map to track data center construction and AI policy, addressing public concerns about land use and corporate expansion. The project gained traction after Reksopuro encountered conflicting reports about Google’s involvement in acquiring public land in her home state.

"There's a lot of misinformation about data centers," Reksopuro said. "Google has denied taking that land."

Clarifying the situation, she explained that The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, had sought to reclaim land from Mount Hood National Forest. According to Reksopuro, Google is a "big, unnamed power user" in this process. The city had requested ownership of a 150-acre portion of the forest, citing the need to access the Mount Hood watershed to meet municipal demands. As of the 2020 census, The Dalles had a population of 16,010.

The interactive map serves as a tool to visualize these developments and provide transparency on data center growth and its broader implications for AI policy and land use.

Source: The Verge
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