The Washington Sun reports:

The Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and data center-related infrastructure projects to be built on federal public lands — far more than previously known.

The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing data center-related proposals covering at least 17,600 acres of public land across six states — Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, according to public records of right-of-way proposals reviewed by The Washington Sun.

Many of the projects under consideration haven’t been previously reported, and aren’t easily accessible on BLM’s website. Several local officials told The Sun they weren’t aware of the federal government’s deliberations, prompting transparency concerns among community advocates.

“If there are places where communities think it is appropriate to build data centers, focus on those,” said Aaron Weiss, director of the conservation group Center for Western Priorities. “The Trump administration needs to stop cutting the public out of public land management. The solution is more public notice and more opportunities for stakeholders to shape projects on the front end.”

Building data centers on public lands, as well as supporting infrastructure like access roads and water pipelines, has emerged as a priority for the Trump administration, which directed BLM officials to identify lands that could be suitable. The administration has pushed to accelerate data center infrastructure development despite public backlash and mounting fears around artificial intelligence.

Public lands in the U.S. are required to be managed for multiple uses, which have historically included mining, logging, energy production and livestock grazing. Building data centers on public lands is unprecedented, however. [Continue reading…]