H.R. 11002: Protecting Our Public Lands from Data Centers Act of 2026

This bill would bar the construction of data centers on certain federal lands. In practical terms, it would stop new data centers from being built on:

• National Forest System land, and
• Land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The bill defines “federal land” for this purpose in a way that excludes some tribal lands and lands held in trust for tribes or individual Native people. So the restriction is aimed at the federal lands described above, not all land connected to the federal government.

It would apply broadly, overriding other laws that might otherwise allow such construction. If passed, no new data center could be built on covered federal land unless Congress later specifically authorizes it by law.

The bill would also affect future federal land sales or transfers. Any conveyance of federal land made after the bill becomes law would have to include a clause saying that the land reverts back to the United States if it is later used for a data center, unless Congress specifically authorizes that use. In other words, if federal land is sold or transferred and then used for a data center, the government would be able to take it back unless Congress approved the data center use separately.

The bill does not describe changes to data centers on private land or state land, and it does not appear to regulate the operation of existing data centers already built on federal land. Its main effect is to prevent new data center construction on covered federal lands and to limit attempts to use newly conveyed federal land for that purpose without specific congressional approval.

Relevant Companies

• None found