LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — U.S. Rep. Dina Titus is demanding answers from the Bureau of Land Management about how the agency is reviewing proposals for data centers on public land, criticizing what she called a quiet federal approval that could move a controversial Boulder City project forward without public input.
In a July 8 letter to BLM Director Stevan Pearce and Nevada acting state director Justin Abernathy, Congresswoman Titus called for “robust public consultation and transparency” in the federal permitting process for data centers, including a pending proposal tied to Townsite Solar 2 LLC.
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Titus wrote that residents have raised concerns about potential effects on Southern Nevada’s limited water resources, energy demand and the environment, including how a large industrial facility could affect the electric grid and utility prices and how heat generated by operations could impact the surrounding area.
The letter points to the recent local debate in Boulder City, where the Planning Commission voted 6-1 on May 20 against adding the project to the city’s land-management process, effectively pausing city permitting.
On July 7, Boulder City announced the developer had withdrawn its application to build the data center on city-owned land near I-11 and U.S. 95.
Titus said she was troubled to learn that while the city was publicly engaging residents, the BLM’s Las Vegas Field Office approved an application on June 26 to amend an existing right-of-way grant to allow the company to construct and operate a data center on adjacent federal land.
“Decisions about how to manage our public lands should always be made in a transparent manner and include opportunities for the public to weigh in,” Titus wrote.
She asked the agency to respond by July 22 to a series of questions she presented, including:
- Whether BLM agrees data-center decisions on public land should involve transparency and public consultation?
- What outreach occurred before the right-of-way amendment?
- What public consultation does BLM plan to have before any notice to proceed?
- Will the agency hold public hearings before allowing the project to move forward?
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