At least 17 data center campuses proposed on US public lands, group says

Oct 20 (Reuters) – At least 35 data center-related applications covering more than 24,000 acres of US federal land are pending or active across six Western states, according to an analysis by conservation group Center for Western Priorities.

• US Bureau of Land Management records show at least 17 proposed data center campuses and 13 related infrastructure projects, including transmission lines, pipelines, telecommunications facilities and access roads across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, according to the study.

• A map of the planned projects includes several applications for infrastructure tied to a Prometheus Hyperscale facility in Wyoming and a range of projects by developer Copia Power in Arizona, Nevada and Idaho, among others.

• The figures underscore industry interest in developing AI infrastructure on federal land as the Trump administration seeks to open public lands to a wider range of industrial uses, including energy, mining and technology projects.

• US President Donald Trump’s administration has strongly backed data center expansion as a national priority, but the public is increasingly opposed to such projects, citing concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, wildlife impacts and public access to federal lands.

• BLM officials were not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gaffen)