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ProPublica · November 7, 2026 · On the brief until November 21, 2026

Trump Official Who Wants Data Centers on Public Lands Has Tens of Millions Invested in AI Industry

Public PolicyPublic AdministrationEnvironmental Science
THE AI ANGLE
Driving demand for public land, water, and power infrastructure

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other federal officials are pushing to place AI data centers on public lands while holding personal investments in AI companies. The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing permits for these facilities and power projects under a 1976 statute. For policy and environmental workers, this shifts resource decisions away from local oversight toward federal land managers.

Summary written by AI Business Lens with an AI model from the article at propublica.org. It is not the article, and the publisher has not reviewed it. For publishers.

THE TEACHING ANGLE
Federal ethics policies permit officials to approve data center initiatives on public lands despite holding tens of millions of dollars in the tech industry.

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