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Developers eye Native nations, tribal communities for new data center projects

The Cherokee Nation, Seminole Nation, and Kickapoo Tribe have recently enacted bans or moratoriums on data center development, as tribal nations increasingly block projects on their lands citing sovereignty and resource concerns.
Developers target tribal land as a "regulatory dream" because sovereign nations operate outside state or local laws, said Ashley Leitka, director of the department of sovereignty and self-determination at Honor the Earth.
Huntley LLC purchased a 500-acre parcel near Horseshoe Bend for $7 million to build a 1 gigawatt data center, prompting opposition from the LeChee Chapter; Irene Whitekiller, president of the LeChee Chapter, said "Water is precious to us."
Some tribes view data centers as economic drivers, with the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs offering technical support; Eric Mahroum, director, noted projects provide community jobs.
Tribal leaders express concern that future federal executive orders could weaken land protections; Irene Whitekiller noted that President Donald Trump's past revisions to monument boundaries to "put to a higher-priority use" suggest federal designations may not guarantee security.

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