Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea

The Bureau of Land Management is considering proposals for at least 12 data center or data center-related structures to be built on public lands across Utah, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming. If approved, the projects would cover 17,600 acres of public land across six states, according to public records of right-of-way proposals reviewed by The Washington Sun.

Many of the projects “aren’t easily accessible on BLM’s website,” Mara Hoplamazian and Jade Lozada write for The Sun. Local officials and advocates in five of the six states with proposed developments — Utah, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming — told The Sun they weren’t aware of many of the proposed data center and data center-related projects on their land.

Building data centers on public land has “emerged as a priority for the Trump administration, which directed BLM officials to identify lands that could be suitable,” The Sun reports. Public land has traditionally been used for mining, logging and livestock grazing — any data center successfully built on public land would be the first of its kind.