Trump Administration Eyes 12 Data Centers Across Six Western States

It seems that finding enough space for the new AI data centers is going to become increasingly difficult. Therefore, the federal government is looking into the option of utilizing something that Western states have an abundance of – public land.

The Trump administration is considering proposals for 12 data centers and associated infrastructure development on Bureau of Land Management (blm) land. There are reportedly 17,600 acres involved across six Western states: Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.

That leaves one Western state noticeably missing from that List?
Montana.

Could Montana blm land ever be considered?

Although nothing is currently under consideration for Montana BLM lands, it makes sense to watch this situation closely since nearby states (Idaho and Wyoming) are already being considered.

The blm manages about 8.3 million acres of public lands across the montana/dakota region, which includes Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. As you might expect, none of these lands sit vacant waiting for someone to come along and develop them. Instead, they are used for things such as grazing, wildlife habitats, producing energy, and providing numerous recreational activities.

Examples of these include hunting, fishing, and camping. You know? The activities many Montanans enjoy.

Why build data centers on public lands?

The blm’s reasoning for developing data centers on public lands is based on the idea that infrastructure projects can provide increased access to broadband services, improve electricity reliability, and contribute to technology-based economic development if developed in accordance with proper review and permitting processes.

It could be argued that placing massive amounts of server capacity in remote locations is simply an attempt to create jobs while allowing companies to take advantage of cheap energy. One potential question raised by proponents of the project is: "How much electricity will each facility require?" "Will each facility consume a lot of water?"; "What will happen to the wildlife habitats and our ability to recreate outdoors?"Not to mention the concern for those who use public land for recreation. In fact, I am currently preparing for a pronghorn antelope hunting trip on some of Montana's blm lands.

While the blm manages the multiple uses of their lands, development of public lands is certainly not new. Examples include oil/gas extraction, mining and livestock grazing, as well as wind/solar power generation. All of these uses co-exist with the needs of hunters, anglers, campers, hikers, and others.

Montana is not on this List... Yet

There are currently no reported plans to build a large-scale AI data center on any blm land in Montana. However, there are plans to consider Idaho and Utah in addition to Wyoming as part of this current round of proposals.

If someone were to decide to utilize a portion of your favorite hunting area on blm land for thousands/hundreds of servers, I would at least appreciate knowing where the specific parcel(s) of land are located so I don’t receive a message requesting my username and password prior to entering my favorite spot.