Pahrump participates in data center day of protest

While Artificial Intelligence keeps advancing, Pahrump residents are worried about the price their community might have to pay if developers are permitted to bring the data centers that are the backbone of this technology to the valley.

This Saturday, July 18, the corner of Highway 160 and Highway 372 was the scene of resistance as residents held a rally as part of the AI Data Center National Day of Protest and there were several dozen people stretched out along the sidewalk in front of the Pahrump Nugget, eager to take part.

Resident Tony Taylor may only have been a part of Pahrump for about year but he and his wife are riled and he was out to show it. With handmade cardboard light bulbs declaring “Here’s yer sign” and “No data center”, Taylor was wearing a shirt bearing the phrase, “That’s just crap,” and this seemed to sum up the attitude of all those attending the protest.

“We moved here for peace and quiet and now all this crap is coming to town,” Taylor remarked to the Pahrump Valley Times Saturday morning. “We’re new in town but the water, that’s what worries me. That’s the big thing. Plus, we don’t need any big industrial crap here anyway. And I think this protest is great. We’re doing pretty good, although I think there should be more people here. We need to get the word out in town so maybe more people will get involved.”

“If we just had one percent of the people who lived here!” another local resident out for the protest, Teresa Redl, agreed.

Several other protesters offered their thoughts, reiterating Taylor’s concerns about the impact on Pahrump’s sole-source aquifer and citing concerns about potential increases in electricity costs, noise generated by such projects and more.

Meanwhile, resident Toni Hoverman, with megaphone in hand, was pacing up and down the street, shouting to the motorists driving by.

“Stand up for Pahrump! Stand up for Pahrump! This is your town people! Stand up and fight for it! Fight, fight, fight for Pahrump! No data centers! Fight! I’m gonna fight like hell, I’m gonna fight to the bitter end!” Hoverman called out and many honked horns and waving hands could be seen as vehicles traveled through the intersection.

Commissioner Ian Bayne stopped in at the protest as well, to chat with everyone and ensure there was no misinformation about an upcoming bill the Nye County Commission will be addressing at its August 4 meeting.

“People have all kinds of weird versions of what’s going on. It’s a ban on the 4th and that’s it,” Bayne explained of Nye County Bill No. 2026-11, which aims to prohibit the development of data centers in any Nye County community that does not have an elected town board.

Before the commission takes up that bill, there is another county-sponsored meeting related to the subject of data centers. Arranged as a somewhat informal gathering to allow for more flexibility in the discussion, the Nye County Data Center Forum is set for this Saturday, July 25.

Both the public forum on July 25 and commission meeting on August 4 will begin 10 a.m. at the commissioners’ chambers, 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com