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From Jeff A. Pierson’s Substack, Oct 29, 2026
Could the federal government use a ruling in the feds favor to capture water rights for data centers on public land? Would that place that use out of the state’s control?
On September 11, 2026, the United States, the Department of Energy, and the Department of the Navy sued the State of Idaho, the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and its director, Matthew Weaver, in federal district court. The dispute grew out of an Idaho water-curtailment order that included the Department of Energy’s water right at Idaho National Laboratory. Federal officials argue that Idaho cannot use its administrative process to restrict federal water use and that a cutoff could interfere with nuclear safety, research, and Navy operations. Case docket, Federal complaint
