I think you underestimate how much larger of a task terraforming the USA west is then say building a rail network through the US (which was an impressive feat) or building hoover dam(also impressive). Not only that the issue with terraforming the West is you are pulling sooo many resources away from productive uses into low value uses.

The American productivity and growth in the past were all large projects that reaped significant benefits of productivity.

Sometimes big projects are great ideas, sometimes they are well intentioned but bad ideas.

Don't worry theres no shortage of dreamers in America -- some of those dreams are great but not all of them.

Also trying to muscle through reasonable questions by trying to label them as some kind of Nimby sad sack is a poor strategy to influence people.