At least 17 data center projects are proposed on US public lands, Center for Western Priorities finds

The AI boom needs somewhere to plug in. Increasingly, that somewhere is land owned by the American public. At least 17 data center campuses and related infrastructure projects are now proposed on US public lands, according to reporting on an analysis from the Center for Western Priorities (CWP). The conservation group’s broader count is even larger. It tallies at least 35 active or pending applications before the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), covering more than 24,000 acres. What the Center for Western Priorities found CWP reported its findings on October 20, 2026. The analysis tracks data center campuses and associated infrastructure across federal land in six Western states: Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The pace of filings is the striking part. In September 2026, the count stood at roughly 12 proposals covering approximately 17,600 acres. About a month later, CWP’s count of BLM applications had reached at least 35, with the acreage topping 24,000. Not every application is a standalone campus. Some cover the supporting pieces, such as rights-of-way for power and transmission. A few names stand out in the filings. Copia Power is linked to multiple right-of-...