Nye County has taken an unusually firm stance against one of tech's fastest-growing industries, voting to ban data centers in a heavily overdrawn water basin that includes Pahrump.
The vote comes amid concerns about the future of the local water supply, according to the Nevada Current.
Here's what to know
A unanimous vote by the Nye County Board of Commissioners shut the door on data center construction and operation in Nevada's Hydrographic Basin 162.
The decision makes Nye County the first local government in Nevada to enact a total ban on data centers.
Commissioners took that step after approving a countywide moratorium on new data center applications in June.
That action followed a May emergency order from the Nye County Water District Governing Board seeking a pause on data centers in the Pahrump Valley.
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The affected basin spans more than 500,000 acres across southern Nye County, including Pahrump, and reaches east toward the Clark County line.
A key flashpoint was Gigawatt Development Partners LLC's proposed 900-acre Manse Technology Campus. The developer said the project would need roughly 300 acre-feet of water per year at full buildout.
Nye County Commissioner Bruce Jabbour acknowledged the decision during a period of public comment.
"I am not willing to sacrifice your or my welfare in regards to a data center here in Pahrump Basin 162," he stated.
More background
Data centers, including facilities used for cloud storage and artificial intelligence, put pressure on local water and power systems.
Those demands are especially concerning in areas facing water scarcity.
In an over-tapped basin, water supply constraints affect reliability and costs for households and businesses. Keeping a major new water user out of the basin could preserve flexibility for homes, existing businesses, and future community needs.
Others argued that the county also has to weigh what it may be giving up in tax revenue, as Nye County Commissioner Debra Strickland did.
"Somewhere we got to make money, guys. So let's put data centers somewhere, come up with a place that'll work," she said.
The developer projected millions in tax revenue, including about $22.4 million in personal property tax after abatements and around $91.8 million a year in real property tax after buildout.
What's being done?
Even with the ban in Basin 162, county officials are still leaving room for data center proposals elsewhere in Nye County.
Commissioners set a special Sept. 14 meeting to write land-use rules for developers who want to build outside the restricted basin.
Nye County Commission Chair Ron Boskovich expressed concerns about water levels and the ongoing push to erect data centers.
"Lake Mead has plunged to a new record low. I don't know if they're correlated. Maybe not, but they're running out of water out there, so we don't really know," he said.
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