Pahrump packs the house for county data center forum

July 29, 2026 - 1:32 pm Pahrump’s Nye County Commissioners’ Chambers filled to capacity on Saturday as residents gathered for the Nye County Data Center Forum. Commissioner Bruce Jabbour opened the proceedings with the remark, “I had nary thought this galore would amusement up,” prompting a ripple of wry laughter from the crowd. Russ Meads, a local developer involved in the contested Manse Technology Campus project, was among the first speakers. He described the planned 900‑acre data‑center zone slated for the southern tip of the Pahrump Valley. Meads said, “I’ve lived present implicit 30 years successful the valley, my household lives here. We privation to proceed to unrecorded present generationally, truthful obviously, I privation thing that is going to harm our community.” He did not address specific concerns, instead directing attendees to a follow‑up session scheduled for August 3. “On August 3, we’ll beryllium capable to stock immoderate existent engineering and immoderate facts and person immoderate backmost and forth. I anticipation everybody – some sides – takes the opportunity,” Meads added. The majority of speakers voiced opposition to large‑scale data centers, citing worries over water consumption in a resource‑limited area, potential contamination of the valley’s sole‑source aquifer, noise pollution, environmental impacts, and strain on local infrastructure. Only a handful of participants spoke in favor of the proposals. Martin Zam, who said he has spent 46 years designing, building, and operating data centers, told the audience, “I worked successful and astir them for truthful galore years and I cannot deliberation of a azygous illustration wherever the vicinity has benefited from having a information halfway section to it.” Melody Keith expressed a desire to keep an open mind but stressed her primary concern: a lack of information about the long‑term effects of massive data‑center developments. She declared, “If the remainder of the state doesn’t privation information centers, wherefore should we person it? We request to cognize much astir it,” and followed with, “We’re not a dump site.” The Manse Technology Campus team announced it will host its own informational forum on its proposal at 6 p.m. on August 3 at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center. The next day, during its regular meeting, the Nye County Commission will consider a measure introduced by Commissioner Ian Bayne that seeks to prohibit data centers in any municipality within the county that does not maintain an elected local board.