--- title: "Trump Administration Considers Data Centers on Public Lands" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-18T19:46:19.597Z" source_reported: "2026-09-18T19:15:34.000Z" updated: "2026-09-18T19:46:19.597Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 58 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-18T19:45:28.020613+00:00" --- # Trump Administration Considers Data Centers on Public Lands *Proposals for at least 12 facilities would cover over 17,600 acres across six western states.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to The Washington Sun, with two full reports and four digests. - Craft 58 of 100, higher is better. Reports quote affected locals and officials, and state what is still unknown. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise more than the body delivers, with mild sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and infrastructure projects on federal public lands. - These proposals cover at least 17,600 acres across six states: Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. - The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing these early-stage proposals, which are not yet public. - Local officials and advocates in at least five of the affected states were unaware of the plans. The Trump administration is contemplating the construction of at least 12 data centers and associated infrastructure on federal public lands. These proposals, currently under review by the Bureau of Land Management, would encompass a minimum of 17,600 acres spread across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The projects are in their initial phases and have not yet been opened for public comment. Reporting from The Washington Sun indicates that local officials and advocates in at least five of these states were not informed about the proposed developments. The Bureau of Land Management is examining these proposals, which are described as being in the early stages. ## Disagreement on Project Scale The Washington Sun reported that the Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and related infrastructure projects. Truthout and The New Republic also reported on plans for 12 data centers. Joe.My.God. and Political Wire, citing The Washington Sun, stated the administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and data center-related infrastructure projects. Raw Story reported on 'at least 12 data center and infrastructure proposals'. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports printed below mention the specific companies behind the proposals, such as Valar Atomics, Copia Power, Rhea Data, and Arevia Power, which were named in The New Republic's full report. The full reports from Truthout and The New Republic also included details on the environmental impacts of data centers and broader criticisms of their development, which were not present in the digests. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 83% (5) - Centre: 17% (1) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-18T19:45:28.020613+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-18T20:15:17.528Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports from Truthout, The New Republic, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, and Washington Sun focused on the scale of the proposed data centers and the lack of public awareness. Truthout highlighted that there are currently zero data centers on public lands and criticised the administration's actions as an attempt to 'roll back protections for and destroy federal lands'. The New Republic noted that the majority of Americans are against such developments and quoted Aaron Weiss of the Center for Western Priorities saying the administration needs to 'stop cutting the public out of public land management'. Raw Story's headline stated locals were 'blindsided' by the 'secretive plans' and called it an 'unholy alliance'. Washington Sun's digest mentioned the proposals cover more land than previously known. Joe.My.God. used the headline 'WH Mulls Allowing 12 Data Centers On Public Lands'. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Political Wire led with the number of proposed data centers and the acreage involved, citing The Washington Sun. Its digest stated the Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and related infrastructure projects on federal public lands, covering at least 17,600 acres across six states. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 5 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/wh-mulls-allowing-12-data-centers-on-public-lands) — WH Mulls Allowing 12 Data Centers On Public Lands - [Truthout](https://truthout.org/articles/there-are-0-data-centers-on-public-lands-trump-is-considering-building-12) — There Are 0 Data Centers on Public Lands. Trump Is Considering Building 12. - [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/post/215593/trump-plan-data-centers-public-lands) — Trump Expands His Plan to Have Data Centers Take Over Public Lands - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/trump-secret-data) — Locals blindsided by Trump's secretive plans for public lands: 'Unholy alliance' - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/18/trump-is-considering-more-data-centers-on-public-lands) — Trump Is Considering More Data Centers On Public Lands - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/climate-environment/trump-administration-data-centers-public-lands-proposals) — Trump Is Considering More Data Centers on Public Lands Than Previously Known ## Questions **How many data centers is the Trump administration considering for public lands?** The Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and related infrastructure projects. These proposals are currently under review by the Bureau of Land Management and are in the early stages. **How much land would these proposed data centers cover?** The proposals for the data centers and related infrastructure would cover at least 17,600 acres of federal public lands. This land is spread across six western states. **Were local officials aware of these proposals?** According to reports, local officials and advocates in at least five of the six affected states were unaware of the proposed data center projects. The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing these early-stage proposals, which have not yet been made public. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump Administration Considers Data Centers on Public Lands", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-administration-considers-data-centers-on-public-lands