Trump administration AI data center infrastructure expansion

Trump Administration Repurposes Federal Land for AI Data Centers

The US Bureau of Land Management approved the first data center on public land by transferring an environmental review from a solar project.

In June 2025, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the first data center on BLM-managed public land by transferring an environmental review originally prepared for a solar project [6]. The original project, Townsite Solar 2, had received a federal right-of-way in 2023 to build a solar farm and battery storage on an 80-acre parcel in Boulder City, Nevada [7]. The solar project would have generated 19 MW of power, while the approved data center will consume up to 167 MW, enough to power 75,000 homes, and will use backup generators [8].

BLM used a Determination of NEPA Adequacy, with field office manager Bruce Sillitoe concluding the projects were "substantially the same" based on similar acreage, boundaries, construction timelines, and structure size and shape [9]. However, the project faced local opposition: the Boulder City Planning Commission voted 6-1 against advancing the proposal after the developer switched from city-owned land to adjacent federal land less than half a mile away [10]. The developer then secured approval on BLM land [10].

On July 14, 2025, the Boulder City Council voted unanimously to appeal BLM's decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals and seek to pause the project [11]. The developer, Townsite Solar 2, has stated that the data center will use waterless cooling, draw power from its own renewable sources, and fund local energy and water initiatives [12]. Separately, Heatmap reported that Arevon, which holds a minority stake, hired lobbyists from the Bernhardt Group led by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt; Arevon says it owns less than 25% and did not hire lobbyists specifically for this project [13].

The approval is part of a broader Trump administration push to accelerate AI data center construction, including urging Congress to preempt state AI regulations and allowing "islanded" power plants for data centers to be exempt from the EPA's Acid Rain Program [14]. The White House also helped organize a voluntary pledge from industry participants not to pass on elevated electricity costs to customers [15]. Critics, like Climate Power senior adviser Jesse Lee, called the pledge a "pinky promise" and said Trump pressured tech companies to power data centers with fossil fuels [16].

Townsite Solar 2 received a federal right-of-way to build a solar farm and battery storage on public land.

In 2023, the Townsite Solar 2 project received a federal right-of-way to develop a solar farm and battery storage. The project was slated for an 80-acre parcel located in Boulder City, Nevada.