Democrats Introduce a Bill to Ban Data Centers on National Forests and Public Lands
馃毃 NEW: Democrats introduce bill to ban data centers on national forests and public lands.
Context
If the bill became law, it would block new data center projects on Forest Service and Interior land at a time when the administration has been opening federal land to that use.
The account Democrats Deliver posted on November 13 that Democrats had introduced a bill to ban data centers on national forests and public lands. The post is secondhand. The measure is H.R. 11002, the Protecting Our Public Lands from Data Centers Act of 2026, introduced on November 11 by Representative Maxine Dexter of Oregon, with a group of Democratic cosponsors, and referred to the Natural Resources and Agriculture committees. Dexter's official posts about the bill, on November 11 and 12, had well under 100,000 views, so they do not lead this story.
Deep dive
Democrats Deliver posted on November 13, "NEW: Democrats introduce bill to ban data centers on national forests and public lands," with a split image of Representative Maxine Dexter and a data center hallway. The post does not name the bill or the sponsor.
The official record is H.R. 11002, the Protecting Our Public Lands from Data Centers Act of 2026, introduced in the House on November 11 by Representative Maxine Dexter of Oregon. According to the introduced text and Dexter's office, the bill would prohibit the construction of data centers on federal land, defined as National Forest System land and land managed by the Interior Department, while excluding tribal trust lands and other lands held for Indian tribes and individuals. It would also require that any federal land conveyed after enactment include a clause returning the land to the United States if it is later used for a data center, unless Congress specifically authorizes that use.
Dexter's press release says the Trump administration is opening federal public lands to data center development, and that large campuses would put pressure on local water supplies and electric grids, with some proposals including their own gas fired power plants. She said public lands belong in public hands. The release says at least 17 data center campuses have been proposed on public lands across six western states, including one on 106 acres near Hermiston, Oregon. The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Earthjustice Action, and several Oregon conservation groups are listed as endorsing the bill.
Dexter posted about the introduction on November 11 and again on November 12. Those official posts had about 4,800 and 1,600 views, far under the 100,000 view bar for a lead, so this story keeps the widely viewed November 13 post and attributes the bill to Dexter. The measure has been referred to committee. It has not passed the House.
What to expect next
Watch whether the Natural Resources or Agriculture committees take up H.R. 11002, and whether a Senate companion is introduced. Until a committee vote or a floor date is set, the bill is a statement of position, not a change in what can be built on federal land. Endorsements or opposition from western state officials, and any new proposals on public land, will show how much pressure the bill actually faces.