Data Center Proposed for Jerome-Lincoln County Public Lands

Copia Digital LLC is in preliminary discussions with the Bureau of Land Management regarding a data center proposal in the desert areas of Jerome and Lincoln counties. The company is looking at approximately 3,000 acres of public land located south of Shoshone Butte. This site is the same area where the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project previously stalled.

The BLM Twin Falls District confirmed in January 2026 that the project is in the pre-application stage. The proposed facility, named the Falcon Data Center, would sit east of Highway 93 in the vicinity of Notch Butte. Copia Digital has been consulting with the BLM before filing an official notice of intent. That filing will start the public scoping process and a review under the National Environmental Protection Act.

Jerome County Commissioner Ben Crouch participated in earlier scoping meetings for the Lava Ridge project. He expects the procedure for this data center to follow a similar path. Crouch stated he is personally against placing data centers in Jerome County. He cited a lack of local water and electric capacity as primary reasons for his opposition.

"Frankly, we haven't got the water. We don't have the electric electricity and we also know where Lava Ridge went, so we're gonna have a lot of support behind us to fight this thing," Crouch said. He described the development cycle in the area as tiring, noting that he expects more groups to try to build there.

Lincoln County Commissioner Rebecca Wood agreed that further development is likely. She pointed to the Midpoint Substation as the main driver for continued interest in the region. The substation acts as an energy transmission hub connecting the Mountain West with the West Coast. Wood said county commissioners serve an advisory role, but final approval power rests with higher authorities.

"It's going to come down to the governor and the US senators really being in touch with the presidency," Wood said. She explained that cooperating agency status in NEPA reviews does not mean agreement with a project. It simply provides a seat at the table to offer opinions on environmental necessities.

Jerome and Lincoln counties have been invited to serve as cooperating agencies for two other projects further along in the process. Those projects are the Snake River Energy Solar Farm and the Rhea Data Center in Ada County. The BLM indicated it is at least a year away from the formal notice of intent and public scoping for the Copia proposal.

Copia Digital has not yet responded to requests for more information about the proposal. Additional details regarding the applicant and project specifications will be released if the proposal advances to the next stage.