A small city near Las Vegas says it's the test case for the Trump Administration's push to expand data centers as it recently approved one on federal land, near the desert city. Boulder City officials are now appealing the federal government's decision.
Following a standing-room-only city council meeting, residents and city officials voiced their dismay and disbelief that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management could make a decision without local consideration or input.
"The BLM approved something in our jurisdiction. We were not contacted by the BLM to be included in that decision," Boulder City Mayor Joe Hardy said following the June meeting.
BLM provided a link to its June approval.
The City Council unanimously voted to appeal that approval for a data center on a federally owned 80-acre parcel of land within the city's jurisdiction. That appeal to the Review Board of the Department of the Interior, which oversees BLM, was filed on July 23.
City officials say the federal land would receive local utilities and emergency response services. The city also said it has jurisdiction over the property. "The proposed data center is located in an area that is currently zoned 'Energy Resource,' and data centers are not a permitted use in this zone," according to the appeal.
Boulder City contends in its written appeal that BLM did not consult with the city or provide adequate opportunity for public input on the approved data center, as required by federal law. In its appeal, the city references its concern over resources: "the City owns its own electrical utility and provides power to its residents. The data center's proposed load is three times the size of Boulder City's load and proposes to interconnect into the same substation from which Boulder City receives power."
Additionally, Boulder City states in its appeal that BLM violated established regulations: "First, the BLM bypassed NEPA by equalizing a renewable energy project that would have put clean energy on the grid with a data center that will pull massive amounts of energy from the grid; essentially the antithesis of the Original Project. Second, the BLM's Decision violated FLPMA because energy-intensive data centers do not conform to right-of-way management objectives, and the BLM circumvented FLPMA's local government consultation and public coordination requirements."
The developer, Townsite Solar 2, LLC, originally filed an application for a battery and solar storage facility. It later amended its application to include a data center. It still has the option to lease the land for a solar and battery storage facility. This would be the developer's second solar and battery storage facility in the area.
Lisa LaPlante, a spokesperson for Boulder City, says city residents and officials feel "blindsided."
"We don't have data centers in Boulder City. We don't have any sort of code for data centers. We have some concerns about police and fire for data centers, roads, infrastructure — things that have not been addressed yet," she said.
The Bureau of Land Management said in its documentation that the approval "supports federal efforts to accelerate permitting for data center infrastructure."
Townsite Solar 2 provided the following statement:
"In 2025, TS2 simultaneously proposed plans for a data center on BLM and Boulder City sites which had already been approved for solar. TS2 respects and has followed the processes in place by both Boulder City and the BLM to consider such proposals.
Since developing the 180 MW Townsite Solar 1 project, TS2 has worked to be a responsible neighbor and long-term partner to the City of Boulder City and the people who call it home. That commitment remains central to this project. TS2 wants the project to provide meaningful, measurable benefits for Boulder City residents, local businesses, and the broader community. Our goal is to develop a responsible, sustainable project that Boulder City can be proud of and that can serve as a national model. This includes supporting water-positive outcomes by funding a City recycling effort to clean and return water to Lake Mead, powering the project with our own renewable energy sources, and creating an Energy Fund to help lower electricity costs for everyone. TS2 also wants Boulder City to receive the greatest possible revenue and contribution benefits from the project, regardless of siting on federally-owned or city-owned land."
Boulder City, which has around 15,000 residents, has previously had "good relationships" with both BLM and the developer, said LaPlante.
As of publication time, city officials don't know the timeline or any other details about the appeal process with the Department of the Interior's Review Board. The Interior Board of Land Appeals is "an appellate review body that is separate and independent from the bureaus and offices whose decisions it reviews."
The Mountain West News Bureau has requested responses from both BLM and the Interior Board of Appeals.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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