An American First Nation is opposing plans for a $2.6 billion AI data center near the city of Pocatello, Idaho.Lex Developments is seeking to build the data center on the site of the former Hoku Materials polysilicon factory in Pocatello, a city in southeast Idaho. It was denied planning permission in May, but is appealing the decision.With the appeal scheduled for Thursday, July 16, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, a First Nation that occupies the nearby Fort Hall Reservation, have reiterated their opposition to the scheme.In a statement submitted to the Pocatello City Council, which will decide on the appeal, the Tribes said it was “deeply concerned about the potential impacts of an additional data center in Pocatello City,” and “reaffirms its opposition to constructing a data center within its ceded lands.”Tribal members could face higher electricity bills as a result of the data center being built, the statement said, while also raising concerns about the impact of the development on the region’s water supply, and wider worries about the environmental impact of the data center.If the appeal is successful, Lex Developments is seeking to erect a seven-building campus on the land, each measuring some 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sqm). The campus is expected to use 100MW of power by 2031, according to reporting from local news outlet Boise Dev.Its initial application was turned down following a public meeting, where more than 80 people spoke out against the proposal. Kathleen Lewis, Pocatello’s hearing examiner, declined to grant a conditional use permit that would have allowed the development to move forward because she said the application lacked sufficient detail.Hoku Materials went into administration in 2013, and the abandoned factory is now owned by Portneuf Capital LLC.Pocatello has been home to a data center operated by the FBI, known as Grey Wolf, since 2019.