An enormous, hyperscale data center proposed for Boulder City, Nevada -- the first ever on federal public lands -- was stopped last month after the community pushed back. The Sierra Club's Toiyabe Chapter and partners at the Center for Biological Diversity joined with local residents to fight the proposed data center, filing an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals. The Board found that the data center was approved without the proper environmental review, and halted construction.
The Bureau of Land Management is currently considering several other proposals for data centers on public lands. This decision by the Board sets a precedent for those projects to be subjected to a more rigorous environmental review as well. Sierra Club is also monitoring proposed projects affecting other public lands, including a proposal to give away part of Prince William Forest Park in Virginia -- a unit of the National Park System -- to build data centers.
“This decision is a victory for democracy, public participation, and the principle that our public lands should serve the public,” said Olivia Tanager, director of the Sierra Club's Toiyabe Chapter. “The people of Boulder City have made clear that they do not want a data center on public lands, and this ruling gives their voices the weight they deserve. Data centers do not belong on public lands, and we will continue to fight unfettered dirty data center development.”
Keep data centers off our public lands. Send a message to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.