Jul 10 2026 Update: We Were Never Told the Whole Story, and We Are Not Surprised.

On March 24, 2026, Boulder City residents learned for the first time that Townsite Solar 2 wanted to build a massive data center on City-owned land.

From day one, we were told this would be “an open and transparent process.” And when we were unhappy with the initial proposal and a town hall was held, afterwards we were assured the developer had “heard residents’ concerns and pivoted.” (That didn’t happen)

When someone has to tell you, “Trust me,” isn’t your first instinct to run screaming in the opposite direction? That goes double for government entities and hedge funds. A hedge fund that has never yet built a functional data center before, mind you. But trust us, this is a totally open and transparent process.

In 2023, Townsite Solar 2 obtained a BLM right-of-way for a solar and battery storage project on adjacent federal land. Then, in November 2025, months before residents were told anything about a data center, they applied to the Bureau of Land Management to amend that federal authorization into… a data center.

So while we were being introduced to this proposal on March 24 and (somewhat) encouraged to participate in the City’s process, another approval process was already underway.

What do we trust?

Def not the all-too-convenient timeline.

Def not the hedge fund’s bad math as was pointed out to them in the Mar 24 council mtg.

Def not the lack of any environmental impact assessment, or the hedge fund’s failure to show any trace of giving a shit about our community.

How about the six out of seven Planning Commission members who rejected their proposal?

Now Townsite Solar 2 has withdrawn its City application. The BLM approved the amended federal right-of-way on June 26. The public wasn’t informed until the other day. Even our U.S. House Rep said of that: “WTF?”: https://titus.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5916

Our message remains the same: Y’all, go home already. We’re going to continue fighting you until you’re so thoroughly done with us that you can’t even fly into LAS for a little poker tournament without remembering how very persistent the people of Boulder City can be.

So, no, the fight isn’t over, it just moved across the way. We will meet you there, too.

*~*~*~*

We residents urge City Council to reject the introduction of data centers in an area where voters have no say via ballot question, and to pursue more responsible, sustainable alternatives.

(May 2026 update: Thank You, Planning Commission! On May 20, the Planning Commission rejected the proposal in a 6:1 vote. The proposal will now go back to City Council, likely not before July, who does have the authority to overturn the Planning Commission's ruling.)

The proposed project states it will require 300 megawatts of continuous power. To put that in perspective:

That is more than three times larger than the average Meta (Facebook) data center.

It would use roughly 22 times the total residential electricity consumption of Boulder City.

It is equivalent to powering approximately 250,000 homes the size of mine.

A facility of this size would generate heat equivalent to roughly 200,000 space heaters running nonstop, 24 hours a day.

The proposal includes using up to 650,000 gallons of treated effluent per day.*  Boulder City currently produces about 1.2 to 1.5 million gallons per day, meaning this project could consume roughly half of the city’s total daily effluent output. Using it for industrial purposes means it will not be reused or returned to Lake Mead. It will also disrupt or eliminate the existing riparian environment.

*(May 2026 update: the Townsite Solar 2 proposal in the Planning Commission agenda packet dated May 20 stated they had heard residents' concerns about water and pivoted, yet in three different places in the agenda packet their proposed cooling method is stated in three different ways:  (1) under the "Cooling" section: "ultra-low air cooled or zero liquid discharge closed loop cooling / all blowdown and return water will be discharged to the City’s sewer system (where? Through our antiquated wastewater treatment plant & out into the riparian environment? ), (2) under Physical Components: "...however, the Proposed Project could be designed to utilize up to 900,000 gallons per day of waste effluent", and (3) under Estimated Revenue Sources: "...assuming sales of ~650,000 gallons/day..." I'm not seeing where they pivoted away from anything.) 

Decisions of this magnitude must not move forward without the clear support and consent of the people who live here.

We have done our homework: we have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours doing research, speaking to people in other towns who have already been burdened by similar projects, poring over and poking holes in this company's application packets, attending Town Hall dog & pony shows, and simply put: we do not want this.