BLM is weighing 35 data center applications on public land

The Bureau of Land Management is considering 35 data center related applications on public land in the western United States, 17 for data center campuses and 13 for supporting AI infrastructure, according to a tracker built from the bureau's own land records.

Why it matters: Data centers have usually been built on private land, so a pipeline of applications on federal land would open a new permitting front in the AI buildout, and one project in eastern Utah would cover more than 9,000 acres.

Data as of Datacenter Dynamics report of October 22, 2026, read in full, reporting a Center for Western Priorities tracker based on Bureau of Land Management land records. The tracker itself was not independently read in this run, so the application counts are single sourced, hence grade C. Developing item.

The Bureau of Land Management is considering 35 data center related applications for development on public land in the western United States, according to a tracker published by the Center for Western Priorities and built from the bureau’s land records. Of the 35, the tracker classifies 17 as applications to build data center campuses and 13 as supporting infrastructure for AI data centers, with five it could not classify from the information available.

One cited project in eastern Utah would cover more than 9,000 acres and be powered by small modular nuclear reactors. The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation group, argues the administration should have to seek public feedback before data centers go on public land, with site specific environmental review for each proposal.

BLM is weighing 35 data center applications on public land

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