Overview
- The Cherokee Nation enacted a ban on hyperscale data center construction on tribally owned and trust lands following a task force review and citizen survey.
- The task force surveyed 1,593 citizens and found about 64% opposed such facilities because of high energy and water use, air quality, noise and light pollution, threats to cultural sites, and limited long‑term local jobs.
- The Nation said it will withhold support for any hyperscale proposals on non‑tribal land inside the reservation unless companies conduct early, robust and transparent consultation with tribal leaders.
- The report recommended plain‑language fact sheets and a permanent advisory committee to review proposals and noted there is no state or federal registry for data centers, which lets some projects avoid federal permits that would trigger tribal review under NEPA.
- Existing hyperscale projects inside the reservation on non‑tribal land, including long‑running facilities such as Google's Pryor campus, remain under municipal or county approvals and are not directly affected by the tribal ban.