Federal Board Halts Nevada Data Center Project

The U.S. Department of Interior Board of Land Appeals issued a stay on Tuesday, halting the development of a data center project by Townsite Solar 2, LLC on federal land near Boulder City, Nevada. The project had been authorized by the Bureau of Land Management on 80 acres of land that were originally cleared for a solar project.

Administrative Judge David Gunter granted the stay after Boulder City and environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, appealed the approval in July. The appellants alleged that the Bureau of Land Management violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to consult the city or provide adequate public input. Judge Gunter ruled that the agency acted "arbitrarily or capriciously" when it determined the data center was "substantially the same" as the previous solar project.

The board concluded that the development would likely cause permanent and irreparable harm to recreational interests, which outweighed the potential harms to the developer.