BOULDER CITY (KTNV) — Two environmental organizations have filed a federal appeal in an effort to stop a proposed data center near Boulder City.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club filed the appeal on July 27, challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of the Townsite project.
Townsite Solar 2, a Texas-based company, had originally intended to build a solar field on the land in question, according to a 2023 proposal.
Now, the site has instead been approved for a data center from the same company, but Boulder City officials are pushing back, saying it did not go through the same environmental analysis.
WATCH | Geneva Zoltek explains how the feds swapped a solar farm for a data center:
In a unanimous vote, Boulder City elected officials agreed to formally appeal the BLM’s decision to allow Townsite Solar 2 to construct a data center on an 80-acre parcel of federal land, but within Boulder City’s jurisdiction.
Since then, others have joined in questioning the BLM’s decision, including Congresswoman Dina Titus.
The appeal filed by The Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club asks the Interior Board of Land Appeals to halt the project immediately through a stay order while the case proceeds.
Environmental groups say the project would become the first data center approved on BLM-managed public land in the United States.
The proposed project would occupy roughly 85 acres in Eldorado Valley, near Las Vegas, in habitat used by the threatened Mojave desert tortoise and other protected species such as the southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo and Ridgway’s rail.
The appeal says the proposed data center would include four buildings totaling more than 27 acres, a 70-megawatt battery energy storage system, backup generators powered by biodiesel or natural gas, and a projected operational lifespan of at least 50 years.
The environmental groups also claim construction water demand would increase from about 25 acre-feet estimated for the solar project’s construction to more than 560 acre-feet for the data center buildout.
The groups argue BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
Appellants say the public was denied meaningful participation because BLM did not hold new public meetings or comment periods for the data center proposal.
Environmental groups also raised concerns about socioeconomic impacts in Boulder City, including potential increases in utility costs, falling property values, and the effects on tourism and quality of life.
The appeal asks the board to vacate BLM’s June 26 approval and require a full environmental review before any construction proceeds.
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