Conservation groups file appeal to Boulder City data center, saying process eliminated public input
Conservation groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, have filed an administrative appeal against the federal approval of the 167-megawatt Townsite Data Center in Boulder City, Nevada. They argue that the Bureau of Land Management unlawfully sidestepped environmental review laws, preventing public input. The data center is planned for desert tortoise habitat and would draw water from the Colorado River Basin, raising concerns among residents and drawing attention from gubernatorial candidates.
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter have filed an administrative appeal challenging the federal approval of the Townsite Data Center in Boulder City, Nevada. The groups allege that the Bureau of Land Management unlawfully bypassed environmental review laws by using a prior authorization for a solar project at the same site, thereby excluding public review and input for the data center.
The 167-megawatt data center, approved in June as the first data center on public lands, is slated for desert tortoise habitat in Eldorado Valley, southeast of Las Vegas, and would use water from the Colorado River Basin. Olivia Tanager, executive director at the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, criticized the process, stating it denies the public a say in decisions regarding public lands and could set a precedent for data centers across the Western United States. Local business owner Brynn DeLorimier also expressed strong opposition, citing concerns about increased utility rates, plummeting property values, environmental contamination, and the destruction of the desert's natural beauty. Boulder City has reportedly approved an appeal to halt the project, with residents joining the conservation groups.