Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: Tribes confront growing data center development pressure
native america calling
Native America Calling
Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.
Alternate Links: Native Voice One | NAC
Native America Calling: Tribes confront growing data center development pressure
Monday, April 13, 2026
nativeamericacalling.com   nativeamericacalling   nativeamericacalling

Tribes confront growing data center development pressure
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is one of the first tribes to pass a moratorium against the construction of hyperscale data centers.

The nearby Muscogee Nation also turned down an opportunity to build a data center after Muscogee citizens spoke out in force against the plan. Large tech companies are stepping up the pressure to build hyperscale data centers to house the processing power for data storage and generative AI.

And the federal government is providing incentives for tribes to get involved in this part of the tech boom. It is part of the Trump administration’s push to unleash American technological power, but such facilities typically require a lot of power and water.

Native environmentalists warn data center companies are only looking to take advantage of tribes’ sovereignty and resources.

Guests on Native America Calling
Cheyenne McNeill (Coharie), editorial fellow at Mother Jones, author of In Indian Country, Data Centers Come With a Familiar Threat of Colonialism. These Organizers Are Fighting Back., published April 7, 2026

Jordan Harmon (Muscogee), policy specialist at Indigenous Environmental Network

Ashley Leitka (Absentee Shawnee Tribe and Oglala Lakota), co-director of the sovereignty and self-determination department for Honor The Earth

Dr. Karen Jarratt Snider (Choctaw), professor of applied Indigenous studies at Northern Arizona University

'You Can't Drink Data'
“You Can’t Drink Data. The biggest lie is AI” Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

All Episodes on Spotify | More Options
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
Native America Calling: Descendants reflect on Greasy Grass anniversary
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (June 22, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation maximizes opportunities in healthcare
Native America Calling: Rebecca Nagle’s ‘First America’ amplifies Native voices amid the din of America 250 celebrations
Cronkite News: Tohono O’odham Nation sues over border wall through homelands
Native America Calling: ‘The Home of the Drowned’ by Elin Anna Labba
Cronkite News: America prepares to celebrate 250th anniversary
Native America Calling: Native bare-knuckle boxers fight for recognition in the ring
Native America Calling: Native impressions of the nation’s 250th year celebrations
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (June 15, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in our youth leaders
Native America Calling: The ongoing lessons from the Battle of Greasy Grass 150 years later
‘A Voice Like Mine’: Deb Haaland releases memoir amid historic campaign
Native America Calling: In the parched West, tribes restore waterways to improve quality and quantity
Tom Cole: America must not break its promise to our seniors
More Headlines