Wyden, Padilla, Merkley Demand Answers Over Sec. Burgum’s Role in Hijacking Public Lands for Data Centers

Inquiry Follows Release of Internal Calendars Showing Meetings Between Burgum and Data Center Developers

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today demanded answers from Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum over his role in helping broker deals to build data centers on public lands.

In September, it was reported that the Trump administration aims to hijack nearly 18,000 acres of public land across Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah for the development of new data centers. Subsequently, the DOI released internal calendars showing that since 2025, Burgum has met repeatedly with data center developers. 

“The timing of these meetings taking place concurrently with the administration’s efforts to pursue data center development on public lands raises serious questions about your involvement in these deals,” the Senators wrote. “The complete lack of transparency regarding these actions compounds our concerns. Given Congress’s role in funding and conducting oversight over the responsible management of public lands, the DOI has an obligation to respond to Congressional oversight inquiries.”

The full letter is here.

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