Judge halts construction of embattled Boulder City data center

A federal administrative judge has issued a ruling in favor of environmentalists and Boulder City leaders, temporarily halting the construction of a data center on public land. The decision, handed down by Judge David Gunter of the Interior Board of Land Appeals, mandates a pause on the project until an appeal lodged by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and Boulder City officials can be fully processed.

The dispute centers on the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the data center for developer Townsite Solar 2. Opponents argued that the BLM's Las Vegas field office improperly amended an existing permit for a solar farm, deeming its environmental review "substantially the same" and transferable to the data center project. Judge Gunter explicitly stated that the data center and solar projects are "fundamentally dissimilar in ways that affect the environment and require meaningful analysis under (the National Environmental Policy Act)," contradicting the BLM's assessment.

Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed enthusiasm for the ruling, highlighting it as a victory against what he described as the Trump administration's efforts to fast-track tech company projects on public lands. The judge's decision noted that a stay would only cause a temporary economic delay for the developer, while Boulder City's appeal and potential loss of $2.3 million in annual tax revenue were significant factors. The Interior Department declined to comment on the ongoing matter, and Townsite Solar 2 did not respond to requests for comment.