A group of Democratic lawmakers has sent Interior Secretary Doug Burgum a list of questions raising concerns about the potential proliferation of data centers on public lands. Lawmakers are asking for more transparency about potential projects, and guarantees that communities will be allowed to have input on any proposals.
The push comes amid media reports that data center developers are eyeing Bureau of Land Management lands for sites in at least six western states. The lawmakers' letter raises concerns that BLM could be reviewing proposals across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.
The BLM has not confirmed to the Mountain West News Bureau whether data center proposals are under consideration in those states.
The letter references a data center approved by the BLM that stoked controversy from local officials in Boulder City, Nevada, which calls its appeal the first such test case involving public lands. An Interior Department appeals judge recently temporarily halted the project, saying it appeared to have been approved without proper environmental studies and public input.
The Democrats who sent a letter are on the House Natural Resources Committee and asked for more details about the processes for approving data centers on public lands from Burgum by Oct. 8.
Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada says lawmakers want to ensure accountability and that local communities are involved.
"They wanna do this on federal public lands so they can do it quicker," Titus said. "They can do it quieter. They can do it without regulations."
Titus is pushing a bill, called the Public Lands Accountability Act, that would ensure data center projects on public lands adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act. The NEPA requires health and environmental assessments and closes potential loopholes.
Titus says lawmakers are also concerned about an executive order signed by President Trump that calls for streamlining processes for data center development.
"This president has tried to supersede just about everything, and he has a head of EPA that's rolling back a lot of provisions," Titus said. "And, if you don't have any oversight like public hearings, then that weakens your ability to hold them in check."
She added concern that local communities also won't benefit from the taxes when projects are on federal land.
Ranking democratic committee chairman Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) also signed the letter, along with Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and others.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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