AI Data Centers on Public Land

ederal agencies are quietly turning tens of thousands of acres of western public lands into expedited, cheap real estate for AI data centers. Between amended solar permits, 100-megawatt fast-track loopholes, thousands of unmonitored backup diesel generators, and 5,000-gallon chemical spills, the government is treating public ground as a permission slip for big tech rather than a shared resource. We break down the paper trail, local revolts, and who profits when compute meets land.