Data center plan halted in Boulder City
A judge has halted a data center project planned for Boulder City, Nevada, after the developer, Townsite Solar, attempted to bypass the city council by moving the project to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. The ruling found that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act, requiring an environmental review and pausing the project. Neighbors and the city council had expressed outrage and pledged to appeal the decision.
A proposed data center project on the outskirts of Boulder City, Nevada, has been halted by a judge following a legal challenge. The decision came after the company behind the project, Townsite Solar, attempted to sidestep the Boulder City Council by moving the development to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.
Rig Lammers, a manager for Townsite Solar, had initially met with neighbors regarding the data center. However, faced with significant pushback over environmental concerns from both residents and the city council, the company opted to relocate the project to federal land on the other side of US Highway 95.
This move sparked outrage among neighbors and the city council, who pledged to appeal the decision. Subsequently, Administrative Judge David Gunter issued a ruling halting the project, citing that the Bureau of Land Management had "violated the National Environmental Policy Act enacted arbitrarily." The project now requires an environmental review, meaning the fight over the data center's future is expected to continue.