Salem Teens, Young Adults Eligible For Climate Action Funding, Support - 09/08/26

Salem, Ore. — Salem teens and young adults wanting to lead climate initiatives benefiting the community are encouraged to apply for a grant during the open call for proposals through Sept. 30. Awards will range from $1,000 - $5,000 for projects that will occur between November 2026 and April 2027.

Salem is one of 300 communities from 34 countries selected to be part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund. The fund provides support to residents aged 15-24 at the time of submission who live or attend a school within Salem city limits to design and complete projects aligned with the City’s climate action goals. Bloomberg Philanthropies has pledged $50,000 for Salem to award to successful applicants in the form of micro-grants.

“We are honored to be part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ efforts to make lasting improvements in communities around the world,” Julie Hoy, Salem City mayor, said. “The Youth Climate Action Fund will encourage young people to get involved in their local government and in finding climate solutions.”

In addition to funding, Bloomberg Philanthropies will help selected projects with staff to support young residents in their efforts.

“Our city is taking action to respond to climate change through our Climate Action Plan,” Krishna Namburi, Salem City manager, said. “I’m excited to see youth bring their ideas, energy, and creativity to this work and join our efforts toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality.”

To find more information or to apply for a grant, visit salemor.gov/youth-climate-fund.

Salem To Host First Of Three Town Halls On Data Centers: Feedback Sought On Community Priorities - 09/08/26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Salem to Host First of Three Town Halls on Data Centers: Feedback Sought on Community Priorities
 

Salem, Ore. — The first of three City of Salem town halls focused on data centers and their impact on the community takes place this month. Join the conversation on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 5-7 p.m. at Broadway Commons or provide your input to the Data Center Task Force anytime at our Data Center Community Survey.

On both Sept. 15 and Oct. 6, town hall participants will be invited to share suggestions for data center water usage, noise, job creation and electricity consumption, as well as other topic areas. Charged with developing a proposal for managing data centers in Salem, the Task Force will present its recommendations to the Salem City Council in December. The town halls serve as an opportunity for Salem’s Data Center Task Force to engage directly with residents and stakeholders to collect feedback and information on how to best manage future data centers in Salem. Input gathered will help shape the Task Force’s understanding of the community’s priorities and guide their recommendations to City Council.

Through Oct. 9, the Task Force is also collecting input through a data center community survey. The survey invites input and ideas for City action on same topical areas discussed at the town halls, allowing community members to provide valuable feedback remotely. The survey is available Spanish as well as English.

At the Oct. 20 town hall, the Task Force will seek community input on its draft recommendations.  

More about Data Center Town Halls:

• Sept. 15, 5-7 p.m.
  • Ideas and input for City action on data centers
  • Broadway Commons
    1300 Broadway St. NE
    Grant/Highland Room
     
• Oct. 6, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Ideas and input for City action on data centers
    Center 50+
    2615 Portland Rd NE
     
• Oct. 20, 5-7 p.m.
  • Input on draft Task Force recommendations
  • Scottish Rite Center
    4090 Commercial St SE

More about Salem’s Data Center Task Force.  Formed at Salem City Council’s direction on July 27, the Task Force is charged with facilitating a minimum of three town hall discussions to engage the community on the topic of data centers. The goal of the Task Force is to develop a principle-driven approach to managing data center growth that balances economic, environmental and community interests. The Task Force will meet to consider community input and draft its recommendations. The Task Force’s proposal will appear on the Dec. 7 Salem City Council meeting agenda.
 

The City of Salem encourages all interested residents and stakeholders to participate in this important conversation about the future of data centers in Salem. More information on the City’s work concerning data centers can be found on the City’s website.

City Of Salem Notifies Verrus That Submitted Application Is “Incomplete” - 08/28/26

For Immediate Release:

August 28, 2026
 

City of Salem Notifies Verrus that Submitted Application is “Incomplete”

Salem, Ore. – Today, the City of Salem has sent, as required by Oregon law (ORS 227.178), an application status letter to the Verrus Mill Creek Data Center applicant (Alderstone, LLC – a Verrus subsidiary).  The letter indicates after a careful review by City planning staff that Alderstone, LLC’s application is “Incomplete.”
 

As part of the planning and land use development process, “Completeness Review” is the second step for Type II applications.  The Completeness Review is conducted after an applicant submits a land use application to the City.  During this step, City staff review the application materials to determine if everything required by City regulations has been included in the application.  Staff are required to conduct this review within 30 days of receiving an application.
 

If the application is not complete, staff are required to notify the applicant in writing of what is missing. The applicant then has 180 days from the date the application was first submitted to provide the missing information, or notify the City that none of the missing information will be provided. If the applicant does not respond within 180 days of the date the application was first submitted (January 27, 2027), the application will be void.
 

The letter has been made publicly available on City’s Topics of Interest: Verrus’ Mill Creek Data Center Project page as well as can be found as part of the application file in the City of Salem public land use portal.

Salem Files Motion For Preliminary Injunction To Further Protect Drinking Water - 08/21/26

SALEM, Ore. — As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure drinking water for Salem residents and businesses remains clean, plentiful and safe, we are taking further legal action to prevent the planned first deep drawdown of Detroit Reservoir this fall unless certain safeguards are put in place.

Today, the City of Salem today filed a motion for preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ planned drawdown this year or to not allow the drawdown to continue if the resulting level of sediment prevents us from filtering and processing the water.

“While our team has made every effort to ensure we can provide drinking water during a drawdown, the risks to our system need to be mitigated before such a drastic measure is taken,” said Krishna Namburi, Salem’s city manager. “I’m hopeful the court will help us protect our ability to serve our 220,000 water customers this fall.”

The City initially filed a lawsuit July 8 against the Corps challenging the Corps’ intended drawdown of Detroit Reservoir, a critical water source for Salem.

If successful, the motion for preliminary injunction would prevent the Corps from starting the process of deep drawdowns until final decisions on the initial case is made. The request for a preliminary injunction might also require the Corps to stop any drawdown if sediment levels reach a certain level that would cause irreparable harm to the City’s water treatment capabilities.

For more than a year, the City of Salem has actively engaged with the Corps, providing detailed feedback and proposing measures designed to protect and preserve the quality and quantity of Salem’s drinking water — not only today, but for future generations. Among the City’s key requests was a safeguard to pause or stop the drawdown when the amount of sediment in the North Santiam River harms Salem’s water treatment systems and would cause those systems to shut down.

Despite those efforts, the Corps is planning to proceed with the drawdown without incorporating these essential protections into their plan. The City of Salem argues that the Corps has also failed to fulfill its federal obligation to publish a study of the impacts of previous drawdowns, and to apply federal law in its analysis of the proposed drawdown.

The City of Salem is responsible for supplying safe and reliable drinking water to about 220,000 residents, as well as hospitals, schools, businesses and other critical infrastructure. Our service area includes the City of Turner, two water districts and portions of unincorporated Marion and Polk counties. We also provide water in sufficient quantities for firefighting and other emergency needs. This is the only emergency source of drinking water for the City of Stayton and the City of Keizer.

Read the full injunction