BLM approves public-land AI data center via solar review — SkimNews
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- BLM approved Townsite Solar 2's request on June 26 to convert an approved 19 MW solar farm and 35 MW battery storage permit into a 167 MW AI data center on 80 acres in Boulder City, Nevada — a facility that would consume enough power for 75,000 homes.
- BLM field manager Bruce Sillitoe ruled the two projects were "substantially the same" via a Determination of NEPA Adequacy, citing similar acreage, boundaries, construction timelines, and structure shape; the agency conducted no new environmental review and invited no public comment.
- Boulder City (population 15,000) was not consulted before the approval, and city spokesperson Lisa LaPlante said the community had "no chance to provide any input"; the City Council voted unanimously July 14 to appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
- Boulder City's Planning Commission had voted 6-1 against advancing a related application on nearby city-owned land before the developer withdrew it after securing approval for the adjacent federal parcel less than half a mile away.
- Arevon, which holds a minority stake under 25% in Townsite Solar 2, hired lobbyists from David Bernhardt's firm around the time the switch was pursued; Bernhardt served as Interior Secretary during Trump's first term.
- Sierra Club's Olivia Tanager called the approval a "bait and switch," warning that the precedent could let developers across the country convert other clean-energy permits into data centers without fresh environmental review or public scrutiny.
Why it matters: Boulder City (pop. 15,000) now faces a 167 MW data center — enough power for 75,000 homes — approved with no local input and no fresh environmental review. The Sierra Club labeled it a "bait and switch" and said the "fear is that this could promulgate throughout not just Nevada, but all over the country."
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