AI Data Center Push on Federal Land Draws Fire in Boulder City and Rural Southern Nevada
Residents, local officials and conservation advocates in Boulder City and rural Clark County are opposing proposals to use federal desert land for hyperscale AI data center campuses. Concerns include habitat loss, dark-sky impacts, industrial sprawl and as much as 22,000 megawatts of potential power demand. Public hearings and environmental reviews are expected, while Boulder City considers zoning buffers near the Eldorado Valley.
Residents and environmental advocates in Boulder City and surrounding rural Clark County communities are challenging proposed reallocations of Bureau of Land Management land for large AI data center campuses. The proposed developments could cover tens of thousands of acres and have raised concerns about Mojave desert tortoise habitat, night-sky visibility, noise, sprawl and the community’s rural character.
The projects could create up to 22,000 megawatts of future electricity demand, prompting scrutiny from NV Energy, rural electric cooperatives and the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada over transmission costs and impacts on protected desert corridors. The BLM is expected to establish timelines for environmental reviews, while the commission has scheduled large-load hearings and Boulder City Council is reviewing possible zoning buffers along the Eldorado Valley boundary.