Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (NV) permanent data center moratorium (2026)
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe — Permanent Moratorium on Data Center Development on Tribal Homelands (August 21, 2026)
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (NV) · Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council resolution (August 21, 2026); reported KUNR Sep 2, 2026
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- August 21, 2026
- Applies to
- Any entity seeking to develop data centers on Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal homelands.
- Enforced by
- Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council / tribal government
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council passed a permanent moratorium on data center development on Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal homelands on August 21, 2026. Tribal Chairman Steven Wadsworth cited the tribe's decades-long fight for water sovereignty to protect endangered species — including the cui-ui sucker fish and the Lahontan cutthroat trout, found only in Pyramid Lake — and stated that tribal lands simply lack the water or power-grid infrastructure that large-scale data centers require. Autumn Harry, a Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal member and co-founder of the Water Over Data Alliance, has been an active advocate for educating indigenous communities about data centers as 'a form of land theft and water theft.' The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe's reservation spans approximately 475,000 acres in Washoe and Storey Counties, Nevada, centered on Pyramid Lake — a sacred site and one of the largest natural lakes in the Great Basin. The moratorium is permanent (not time-limited), placing it among the strongest tribal land-use restrictions enacted against data centers in 2026.
Who is protected: Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal members and the tribe's water resources, endangered species, and cultural sites on the reservation.
Legal detail
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council resolution (August 21, 2026): permanent moratorium on data center development on Pyramid Lake Paiute homelands. RATIONALE: (1) Water scarcity — Pyramid Lake is a closed basin lake and primary tribal water resource; cui-ui sucker fish and Lahontan cutthroat trout are endemic and Endangered Species Act-listed; (2) Power infrastructure — 'we don't have the infrastructure, the power lines' for data-center-scale energy demand (Chairman Wadsworth, KUNR interview Sep 2, 2026); (3) Cultural and sovereign resource protection — 'Water Over Data Alliance' active on tribal data-center education. GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT: Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, ~475,000 acres, Washoe and Storey Counties, NV; Pyramid Lake (a sacred site, ~112 square miles) lies within tribal territory; reservation is approximately 35 miles northeast of Reno, NV. Nevada data-center context: Northern Nevada (Reno-Sparks metro area) is a rapidly growing hub for hyperscale data centers due to power availability and tax incentives; multiple tribal communities near Reno have faced development pressure. COMPARABLE ACTIONS: Moratorium joins Seminole Nation of Oklahoma (March 7, 2026), Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians (April 7, 2026), Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (May 7, 2026), Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (August 2026), and Hualapai Tribe of Arizona (September 2026).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (NV) |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | August 21, 2026 |
| Citation | Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council resolution (August 21, 2026); reported KUNR Sep 2, 2026 |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Tribal government will not authorize data center development; tribal law enforcement powers apply on reservation lands. |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Northern Nevada tribes speak out against data centers — KUNR (Nevada Public Radio) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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