Welcome to the Landline, a monthly newsletter by High Country News that explores land, water, wildlife, climate, and conservation in the Western U.S.
On January 14, President Joe Biden issued an executive order aimed at expanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure. This order allows the Defense and Energy departments to use federal land for large AI data centers, while also directing the Interior Department to find public land for renewable energy projects to power these centers. This comes with a push for quicker permits for energy projects and transmission lines.
At the same time, the Biden administration started withdrawing over 300,000 acres of public land in the Amargosa Valley, Nevada, to protect it from new mining claims, particularly for lithium and geothermal energy. This creates a noticeable clash: on one hand, Biden encourages corporate projects that can be energy-intensive; on the other, he seeks to safeguard land from similar developments.
Biden’s approach shows a pattern of inconsistency throughout his presidency. He rejected the Keystone XL pipeline and imposed stricter regulations on drilling in the Arctic. Yet, he later approved the controversial Willow oil project in Alaska and allowed extensive solar and wind installations on lands home to fragile ecosystems. This behavior mirrors strategies used by past presidents like Jimmy Carter, who also balanced protections with development interests.
Biden seems to believe that promoting data centers aligns with a greater good, citing the rising importance of AI for national security.
Biden appears convinced that boosting data centers will achieve a larger goal, often citing AI’s growing significance for national security. However, tech companies have been expanding without needing to lean on “common good” arguments, as they’ve built data centers on private land with little pushback, even in water-scarce areas such as Las Vegas and Phoenix. In regions like the Northwest, where hydropower is abundant, tech giants continue to establish facilities.
These data centers use massive amounts of energy. An AI query consumes about ten times the power of a simple Google search. Currently, these centers consume over 150 terawatt-hours of electricity per year—enough to power hundreds of millions of homes—which is projected to rise significantly by 2030.
To address this increasing energy demand, utilities are racing to ramp up their production capabilities. Some coal and nuclear plants that were supposed to retire are now being kept online, while companies like Meta and Amazon are securing entire capacities from renewable projects and even exploring new nuclear options to satisfy energy needs.
Biden’s executive order prioritizes “clean” energy sources for public land projects. This includes solar, wind, and geothermal energy, as well as coal and natural gas, as long as they reduce carbon emissions by at least 90%. This means that a corporation could potentially establish a gigawatt data center using these power plants on federal land, bypassing standard environmental reviews.
However, granting public land for these endeavors, regardless of intentions, sets a concerning precedent.
Despite these good intentions, handing over public land poses a risk, especially as power dynamics shift with changing administrations. The focus on profit may overshadow environmental concerns, benefitting major tech players far more than the general public.
Biden himself warned of the rise of oligarchs with immense wealth and power threatening democracy. This emphasizes that public land should provide protection against such concentrated power, rather than serving as merely a resource for the richest corporations.
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Climate,Climate Change,Donald Trump,Energy & Industry,Joe Biden,Landline,Perspective,Public Lands,Technology,Web exclusive
