What steps are Southern Nevada leaders taking — or not taking — to regulate the growing data center industry?
Southern Nevada leaders are grappling with how to regulate the growing data center industry amidst increasing calls for stricter oversight. Boulder City residents are appealing a federal land swap and will vote on data center land use, while Nye County enacted a ban in part of the county and Henderson opted for development agreements instead of a moratorium. State lawmakers are also proposing statewide regulations and moratoriums, making data centers a key issue in upcoming elections.
Southern Nevada is experiencing an intense debate over data center development, with local jurisdictions and state officials considering various regulatory measures. In Boulder City, residents and environmental advocates successfully appealed a Bureau of Land Management approval of a land swap for a proposed data center by Townsite Solar 2, leading to a temporary stay by the Department of Interior's Board of Land Appeals. Voters there will also decide in November whether data centers should be an allowed land use in the 100,000-acre Eldorado Valley Transfer Area.
Nye County has taken the strongest stance in Southern Nevada, enacting a temporary moratorium and later banning data centers in Hydrographic Basin 162, which includes Pahrump. This ban directly impacts Gigawatt Development's Manse Technology Campus, an 900-acre project that now appears infeasible in its original location. Nye County commissioners are also developing regulations for data center development in other areas.
Clark County's Zoning Commission approved an expansion for Switch's data center campus, despite public opposition including a rally by the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter pushing for a moratorium. Commissioners discussed oversight but did not take further regulatory steps. In Henderson, Mayor Michelle Romero proposed a moratorium, but the City Council opted instead to require development agreements with data center developers.
At the state level, data center regulation has become a significant political issue. State Senator Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) has requested a bill draft for data center regulation in 2027. State Senator Dina Neal (D-Clark County) has also requested a bill to repeal tax abatements for data centers and impose a statewide moratorium. Gubernatorial candidates Aaron Ford and incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo are publicly debating their approaches to the industry, making it a key issue for the upcoming midterm elections.