La Pine Council Blocks Boxminer Data Center, Rejecting Land Sale After 200-Job Claims Drew Fire
Updated
Updated · The Nation · Jun 23
La Pine Council Blocks Boxminer Data Center, Rejecting Land Sale After 200-Job Claims Drew Fire
3 articles · Updated · The Nation · Jun 23
Summary
La Pine’s city council unanimously rejected selling public land to Boxminer on May 27, halting a proposed data center after residents packed meetings to oppose the project.
Local critics cited heavy power and water use, round-the-clock noise and light, and skepticism over Boxminer’s promise of up to 200 jobs; a city manager’s review suggested the real figure could be closer to five.
The fight reflects a wider rural backlash as two-thirds of future U.S. data centers are slated for rural areas and at least 48 local moratoriums are already in place, including in Texas and Tennessee.
Energy costs are a central flashpoint: Oregon electricity use rose 20% from 2013 to 2023, while Portland General Electric lifted residential rates 50% to fund infrastructure tied to surging demand.
The broader dispute is also economic, with 36 states offering tax breaks even as audits in Virginia and Georgia found weak returns and opponents argue data centers displace farmland without delivering promised jobs.
While rural America rejects AI data centers, why is the government fast-tracking them for national security?
As data centers cost states billions and create few jobs, who truly profits from the massive tax breaks?
Is America sacrificing its farmland and water security to power the global AI boom?
La Pine’s Unanimous ‘No’ to Boxminer: How Rural Communities Are Halting $64 Billion in Data Center Projects
Overview
The La Pine City Council unanimously rejected Boxminer’s proposed 20-megawatt bitcoin mining and data center after strong public opposition and skepticism about the project’s promised benefits. Residents voiced concerns about high energy and water use, noise, and threats to the town’s character, despite Boxminer’s claims of using efficient closed-loop cooling. The council questioned the actual number of jobs and city revenue the project would bring. This decision reflects a wider trend of rural communities pushing back against large-scale data centers, prioritizing local resources and demanding greater transparency and control over development.