Oregon
Much bigger data center tax breaks on deck in Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s bill
Economic development legislation championed by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is poised to dramatically expand the state’s tax breaks for data centers, which are already among the largest in the nation.
Oregon data center operators will save nearly a half-billion dollars in local property taxes this year through three different incentive programs. Kotek’s legislation, House Bill 4084, would expand the fastest growing of those three programs.
The standard enterprise zone program provides property tax exemptions for up to five years for new industrial activity in urban and suburban parts of the state. HB 4084, which advanced through a key committee this past week, would double the length of those tax breaks to 10 years.
That means participating companies — chiefly data centers — could save twice as much. It also makes more cities eligible to participate in the enterprise zone program, which could provide an incentive for data centers to move into more communities.
(Separate economic development legislation, Senate Bill 1586, also proposed expanding the enterprise zone program. But lawmakers dropped that provision this month and focused primarily on expanding available industrial land.)
Oregon lawmakers conceived the enterprise zone program in the 1980s as a tool to attract small manufacturers, but they put no cap on how big the incentives could be and attached minimal job requirements.
The tech industry cashed in by siting data centers on hundreds of acres of industrial land in Hillsboro. Property that might otherwise have been used for electronics manufacturing — factories that can employs hundreds or even thousands — now hosts giant server farms that typically employ just a handful of people.
A Hillsboro data center operated by social media company TikTok, for example, is saving $5.6 million this year through the enterprise zone program even though it has just 11 local employees. That works out to more than $500,000 in tax breaks for each worker.
The data center influx has left Hillsboro with very little vacant industrial property so data centers are now looking at nearby communities like Forest Grove, where a California company is now building the first of two large data centers in an enterprise zone adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Hillsboro data centers saved $45 million in local property taxes last year through the standard enterprise zone program, two-thirds of all the money the program gave away statewide. This year, the data centers will save double that through the same program, nearly $90 million. (The state hasn’t compiled 2026 figures from other industries yet.)
The data center industry is responsible for nearly all the growth in Oregon’s electricity usage, and that has severely strained the state’s electrical grid. The same phenomenon is playing out in other parts of the country, and elected officials in states such as Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland have proposed reining in the industry and limiting their tax breaks.
Oregon is poised to move in the opposite direction by increasing the industry’s incentives. That baffles Jody Wiser, from the watchdog group Tax Fairness Oregon, who calls the idea “patently ridiculous.”
The boom in artificial intelligence has tech companies building data centers pretty much anywhere they can find power and land. So Wiser said it’s “totally a waste” for Oregon to sweeten the pot.
Neither the governor nor any state legislator has specifically suggested that Oregon needs bigger data center tax breaks. So Wiser said she suspects the governor’s office and legislative leaders didn’t understand how the enterprise zone program is being applied in the 21st Century and advanced the legislation without recognizing that data centers would be the primary beneficiaries.
“Frankly, I don’t think they really realized it. My sense is they didn’t really get it that almost all of the money is going to data centers,” Wiser said. “By the time they realized it they needed the bill to move.”
The governor’s office didn’t directly respond to questions about whether Kotek actually wants larger data center incentives. Instead, her staff highlighted other provisions in the bill designed to accelerate permitting, prepare industrial land for development and update economic development tools.
“The intent behind HB 4084 is to create opportunity for every corner of the state,” Anca Matica, spokesperson for the governor, wrote in an email Friday. “The governor’s effort to expand this economic development tool is intentionally broad and inclusive, not targeted at any single community or industry.”
In her email, Matica noted that a study of Oregon tax incentives from 2022 found that the standard enterprise zone program delivers $29 in economic output for each $1 in tax breaks. That study analyzed results only up through 2020, however, long before the state’s current data center boom.
Even so, the study found that data centers created “significantly” fewer jobs than other industries that participate in the enterprise zone program.
Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, was among the lawmakers who voted to advance HB 4084 in a legislative committee Thursday. Marsh said she favored closer scrutiny of data centers’ tax breaks and economic impact, but said the Legislature should wait to act until after it receives recommendations from a workgroup Kotek appointed last month to study the industry.
The panel holds its first meeting Friday, but the group has already said it won’t issue any recommendations about data center tax breaks. Still, Marsh said she believes the industry deserves a thorough examination in next year’s full legislative session.
“It is not at all clear to me that data centers provide public or economic development benefits that justify the incentives,” Marsh said. “This issue is inevitably going to come back in 2027.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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Oregon
Oregon man mounted a jet engine on a 60-year-old fishing boat to blast around a lake and thinks he may have set a world record
A man from Oregon has unveiled something truly crazy after he added a jet engine to the back of a 60-year-old fishing boat – and he suspects he might have broken a world record.
YouTuber Robert Maddox from CrazyRocketman mounted a pulsejet engine and its 230lbs of thrust to the back of a 1965 12-foot Sears fishing boat.
A wild juxtaposition by any standard, and the video he posted on YouTube confirms that as the diminutive boat roars away.
But did the YouTuber actually actually get the record?
How does this 1965 Sears fishing boat get its power?
The video shows the Oregon man hurling the boat around a lake, with the engine glowing behind him.
Strapped to the back of the boat is a pulsejet engine that produces 230lbs of thrust.
Pulsejet engines are smaller, lighter jet engines with combustion occurring in pulses.
Such is their simplicity that they can be made with few or even no moving parts at all.
Engines like these were used on the German V-1 Flying Bomb from World War II.
These were the Argus As 014 engines, the very first pulsejet ever to be mass-produced.
It is a smaller and even simpler version of these that Maddox has put on the back of his boat.
The funny noise they make comes from the way in which the jet makes its power.
This old boat could be a record holder
In his video, Maddox had clearly enjoyed his outing on the boat.
“Man, this boat really is super controllable,” he said, highlighting the ease with which it handles.
The video suggested there are a few niggles still to sort out on the boat.
“It was making all kinds of fuel noises, I’ve probably got a fuel pump out or something,” he added.
Yet this isn’t the end of the road for this particular project.
“I’m going to do a lot with this boat, and put a twin engine on it,” Maddox said in the video.
Given the speed of the vessel, with two pulsejet engines, this should rocket through the water.
That means another world record could be up for grabs for the Oregon YouTuber.
If there was any doubt over a world record with one engine, two engines should end the debate in an instant.
Jet engine timeline
150 AD – Hero of Alexandria invents the aeolipile, a steam-powered device demonstrating the basic jet principle
1930 – Frank Whittle successfully patents the first design for a working gas turbine jet engine
1937 – Hans von Ohain tests his first centrifugal turbojet engine prototype in Germany
1939 – The Heinkel He 178 makes the first successful flight powered entirely by a jet engine
1941 – The Gloster E.28/39 completes the first British jet flight using Whittle’s engine design
1944 – The Messerschmitt Me 262 enters combat service as the world’s first operational jet fighter
1949 – The de Havilland Comet makes its maiden flight to become the first commercial jet airliner
1958 – The Boeing 707 enters commercial service and officially kicks off the global Jet Age
1969 – Concorde takes off for the first time to pioneer supersonic passenger jet travel
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