Rep. Tlaib introduces a bill to ban AI data centers on federal lands

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) introduced the No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act, a new bill that permanently bans large AI data centers and associated infrastructure on land owned or managed by the U.S., including military bases. The bill also requires the removal of existing qualifying AI data centers and mandates site remediation.

“Everywhere I go in our district, our residents tell me loud and clear, data centers are not welcome in our communities. AI data centers bring noise, light, air, and water pollution, and can increase energy costs by as much as 267%,” said Rep. Tlaib, co-founder of the People’s Environmental Justice Caucus. “Our residents are choking on smog and already paying too much for their utility bills, yet the Trump administration wants to place heavier cost burdens on the shoulders of hardworking Americans. Our corrupt, AI-addicted President cannot be allowed to sacrifice our federal lands so that Big Tech oligarchs can get richer. I will continue to push back against harmful AI data centers alongside our residents to protect our public lands, health, and environment.”

In May, the Department of Defense requested $30 billion to build hyperscale data centers that would integrate largely untested hardware and software used to make life or death decisions into the military. These data centers could be built without Clean Air Act permits under the Trump administration’s new rule that revokes environmental protections. Recently, the Bureau of Land Management approved the first data center on BLM land in Nevada without public input, and the Department of Energy is pushing AI data centers at as many as 16 federal sites nationally.  Tlaib’s bill would safeguard public lands from data center destruction, protect military families and surrounding neighborhoods from water and light pollution, and make it more difficult for the Trump administration to outsource military decisions to Big Tech companies.

The No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act is endorsed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Climate Justice Alliance, Food & Water Watch, and Win Without War. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

“While the Trump administration willingly serves up our environment on a platter to Big Tech and their data centers, Rep. Tlaib’s proposed legislation is drawing a line in the sand,” said Camden Weber, senior climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Public lands belong to the people, not to Big Tech’s bottom line. This bill is a necessary step toward holding the industry accountable and protecting the air, water and places all species depend on.”

“Everyone deserves clean air, safe water, affordable energy, and healthy neighborhoods. But right now, the accelerated build out of AI data centers threatens this. Communities across the country are calling for accountability, not another giveaway for Big Tech,” Mar Zepeda Salazar, Legislative Director, Climate Justice Alliance. “The No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act establishes a critical guardrail to protect our public lands and ensures that the rush to build AI infrastructure does not come at the expense of our health, environment, or democratic voice. Communities have been clear: they deserve transparency, accountability, and the right to shape what gets built in their backyards.” 

“With this legislation, Rep. Tlaib is showing the leadership required to protect public lands from massive data center development and industrial destruction,” said Jim Walsh, Food & Water Watch. “At a time when Big Tech is racing to build data centers across the country – including on sensitive public lands – communities are rising up to protect their air, water, health and financial security from this dangerous, exploitative industry.”

“Public lands should not be turned into sacrifice zones for the AI arms race,” said Shayna Lewis, Deputy Director of Win Without War. “This bill is a wake up call and a necessary safeguard that would protect communities from being forced to shoulder the energy, water, pollution, and infrastructure costs of systems designed to accelerate war-making and deepen the Pentagon’s deference to Big Tech.”

Read the full bill text here.

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