CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Maxine Dexter (D-OR)

Protecting Our Public Lands from Data Centers Act of 2026

H.R. 11002 · House bill Public Lands and Natural Resources

A Democratic bill with 13 Democratic cosponsors · See all 13 cosponsors

Last activity — Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H6202)

In committee

Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.

The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. In Committee

What this bill would do

The bill is called the Protecting Our Public Lands from Data Centers Act of 2026. It bans the building of data centers on Federal land, which includes National Forest System land and land managed by the Secretary of the Interior. The bill also excludes certain Indian lands from this definition. Additionally, any Federal land given away or conveyed on or after the enactment date must include a reversionary clause. This clause ensures the land goes back to the United States if it is used for a data center, unless Congress specifically authorizes it.

Yes

  • Scored +6

    Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests?

    By banning data centers on federal lands and national forests, the bill enhances the conservation and management of public lands.

  • Scored +5

    Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?

    The bill protects public lands by prohibiting the construction of data centers on federal land and requiring a reversionary clause for land conveyances.

  • Scored +4

    Would people in rural areas be better off under this?

    Protecting federal and national forest lands from heavy industrial data center development preserves rural landscapes and natural resources.

The opposite

No question was scored the opposite.