Environmental groups appeal BLM approval of Boulder City data center on public land
Environmental groups Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, along with Boulder City, have filed an administrative appeal challenging the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the Townsite Data Center. They allege the BLM unlawfully bypassed environmental review laws and public participation in approving the data center on public lands. The proposed data center, developed by Skylar Capital Management, is slated for desert tortoise habitat in Eldorado Valley and would draw water from the Colorado River Basin.
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 environmental groups, joined by Boulder City, allege that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unlawfully approved the project in June through an "unorthodox permitting procedure that avoided any environmental review or public participation."
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the approval, stating that public lands should be preserved for wildlife, clean water, and recreation, not for data centers that contribute to air pollution and water consumption. The proposed data center, put forth by Skylar Capital Management, would be built on desert tortoise habitat in Eldorado Valley, southeast of Las Vegas, and would source water from the Colorado River Basin.
Olivia Tanager, executive director at the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, warned that unchallenged approvals like this could set a dangerous precedent for data center development across public lands in the West. Boulder City officials noted that despite being on BLM-owned land, the site falls within Boulder City’s boundaries, meaning city services would be utilized. The project has also faced opposition from local residents during Boulder City Council meetings.