BLM Reviews Proposed 3,700-Acre Idaho Data Center
The proposal signals a move toward building massive compute infrastructure on public lands to support AI development.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Data Centers
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The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing a preliminary proposal from Copia Power to construct a 3,700-acre data center on public land north of Twin Falls. The project remains in the pre-application phase, with no federal notice of intent currently filed.
Why it matters
As compute demand for AI development surges, developers are increasingly looking to public lands to accommodate massive infrastructure needs. This trend is sparking tension between industrial expansion and regional land use priorities across the Western United States.
The proposed site sits near the Midpoint Substation, a critical piece of power infrastructure. Copia Power currently leads the industry in regional applications with 16 active filings, representing a significant portion of the 35 total projects monitored by the Center for Western Priorities.
The players
Copia Power
An energy and infrastructure developer currently managing 16 data center applications across Western states.
Bureau of Land Management
The federal agency overseeing the management of public lands and currently evaluating proposals for industrial use.
Center for Western Priorities
A non-partisan research organization that tracks infrastructure projects and land use across Western states.
Meta
A global technology company that recently completed a 750,000-square-foot data center near Kuna.
The details
Copia Power is coordinating with the Bureau of Land Management's Shoshone Field Office to outline the project's technical requirements. Developing on federal land requires a formal notice of intent filed on the federal register, which initiates a mandatory public review process. Data centers of this scale require high-capacity electrical transmission and cooling logistics to support heavy computational loads.
Timeline
May 2026: Gallup polls show 70% of Americans oppose local data center construction.
September 2026: President Trump advocates for increased data center construction.
September 2026: Meta activates a 750,000-square-foot facility near Kuna.
October 2026: Center for Western Priorities reports on 35 regional data center projects.
October 26, 2026: Idaho Democrats express formal opposition to the Twin Falls proposal.
The Tech Race
The push to secure public land for hyperscale infrastructure follows the recent completion of Meta’s Kuna facility. This proposal signals an effort to scale capacity beyond private real estate limitations, aligning with broader federal encouragement for domestic data center growth.
Residents in the Twin Falls area will be eligible to submit formal feedback once the notice of intent appears in the federal register. The project’s progress remains contingent on this public review period and environmental assessments by the Bureau of Land Management.
The takeaway
The project represents a shift toward developing massive compute facilities on public land, a move that currently faces broad public opposition. Readers should monitor the federal register for the upcoming notice of intent, which will define the project's formal public feedback window.
Further reading
For broader trends in infrastructure growth, browse Data Centers.
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Should private companies be allowed to build large data centers on public land?
