07/25/2026
A new bill aims to ban data centers from all public land in the U.S.
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has introduced the 'No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act', a sweeping piece of legislation designed to permanently prohibit large-scale artificial intelligence data centers and their associated infrastructure on any land owned or managed by the federal government.
The bill targets public lands, including military bases, and would mandate the removal and environmental remediation of any existing qualifying facilities.
Backed by environmental and civic advocacy groups, Tlaib and her co-sponsors argue that these massive facilities place an unfair burden on surrounding communities, warning that data centers can drive up local utility bills by as much as 267% while creating severe noise, light, air, and water pollution.
The legislative push comes amid a rapid acceleration of AI infrastructure development under the Trump administration, which has seen the Department of Energy propose data centers at up to 16 federal sites and the Bureau of Land Management approve its first facility on public land in Nevada.
Environmental advocates are particularly alarmed by a Department of Defense request for $30 billion to integrate hyperscale data centers into military decision-making under a new administration rule that bypasses Clean Air Act permits. Supporters of Tlaib's bill argue that public lands should be protected from industrial exploitation, while opponents warn that halting federal AI development could undermine America's technological edge and national security infrastructure.
🎥 Watch the full video to discover the hidden environmental cost of AI.
👉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ZYp4OT_mk&t=1s