Data center/Public lands analysis

[Hunting Wife]

Hot off the press…for those interested in the information related to data centers and public lands. I haven’t read it yet but viewed the AFWA presentation.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries and economies, creating an urgent need to strategically plan for the energy and infrastructure required to support increasing AI use. U.S. Federal agencies and bureaus have been directed to explore ways to accelerate permitting...

pubs.usgs.gov

https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2026/5035/sir20265035.pdf

Hopefully folks can access this. I’ve been trying for 20 minutes to get these posted. For some reason, HT keeps failing to respond for me when trying to access this type of content for the past couple weeks. @Big Fin must have pissed off the Tech Bros.

 

[Big Fin]

I just got the same notice. I thought we were a market-based economy where private industry and corporate ideas were to compete based on free-enterprise principles, not government subsidy of picking winners and losers.

This is BS. If these data centers are needed to meet demand, let private lands be used. It will help a private landowner who can get a greater return and it will force the markets to pass on the true costs of data centers to the end users. Using public lands to subsidize activities people don't want in their backyard is BS.

Gotta run, but this issue is only going to fester - it's not going away with the money the tech giants are tossing at an Administration who views everything as transactional and an opportunity for personal enrichment.

 

[Gellar]

This is BS. If these data centers are needed to meet demand, let private lands be used. It will help a private landowner who can get a greater return and it will force the markets to pass on the true costs of data centers to the end users.

The party of private property rights is full of shit as a Christmas Goose. They won't let a farmer in Iowa sell 10 acres to a solar developer or even donate land a public agency but they are more than eager to give away our public land to the highest bidder to line their own pockets.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Use imminent domain to wipe out those dead shopping centers and rotting factory complexes. Feed the hungry and fill those with data centers hog barns and poultry farms. That Mall of America in MN is a perfect place for a giant hog operation.

 

[brymoore]

Mar-a-Lago would be a great Data Center spot.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Mar-a-Lago would be a great Data Center spot.

Build those on ever inch of beach around Florida. They get plenty of wind to run those wind turbines to power them.

 

[elkduds]

Mar-a-Lago Lego would be a great Data Center spot.

FIFY

 

[IDiot]

No infrastructure should go on public land until we repurpose all the abandoned buildings in every major city in the midwest and rust belt. Those old factories seem perfect for data centers.

 

[Wildabeest]

What if every mall, arena and Walmart parking lot were covered in solar panels? Shade for the cars, energy for the masses. Way better than solar fields and wind turbines on public lands that still support wildlife habitat.

 

[longbow51]

Or, put them in space. Frankly I don't want any land that has wildlife or farming repurposed to wind, solar, or data, public or private. Ecosystem, after all. Old factories, parking lots, have at it.

 

[Forkyfinder]

What if every mall, arena and Walmart parking lot were covered in solar panels? Shade for the cars, energy for the masses. Way better than solar fields and wind turbines on public lands that still support wildlife habitat.

A great thought - but i can tell with experience/understanding it simply isnt practical for a variety of reasons that are pretty complex to explain.

Its unfortunate.

 

[Jack Ryan]

A great thought - but i can tell with experience/understanding it simply isnt practical for a variety of reasons that are pretty complex to explain.

Its unfortunate.

The public is generally pretty scummy. They would vandalize them.