Across the country, it is hard to miss the barrage of ads about data centers. I can also tell you where the topic of data centers has found a home—local comedy clubs.
I enjoy stand-up comedy and occasionally take the stage for an open mic session, testing out material that usually elicits more groans than laughs. I may be light-years away from being Jerry Seinfeld, but I learn what’s on people’s minds by listening to other comedians in a raw, unfiltered environment.
People have varied reasons for opposing data centers, and believe me, I have heard jokes about all of them—most of which cannot be repeated. Consumers are concerned with the use of water and energy or the impact on local quality of life and higher utility bills.
For 15 years, Umatilla Electric Cooperative, based in Hermiston, has been successful in shielding its legacy members from the rate impacts of data centers. But there is one rate increase we have not been successful in shielding our members from. It’s the topic of our feature story this month and is one of the most unreported stories of the year: the state of Oregon raising electric rates on 1 million of its citizens by altering the operation of our greatest renewable resource—hydropower—and forcing utilities to buy more expensive, dirtier electricity.
The federal government has started an official rate proceeding to determine how big a rate increase Oregon’s electric co-ops will face because of their own state government. So far, I have not seen a single comedian in a local club joke about how a portion of this increase will be passed on to hard-working Oregonians.
They say you can find humor in anything. But there is nothing funny about our own state forcing people to make choices about paying for electricity, food or medicine.
Executive Director Ted Case