Residents urged the Millard County Commission to reconsider the location of a proposed data center and related solar infrastructure during the public-comment portion of a meeting, citing concerns about water competition, long-term zoning effects and visual impact.

John Nye, who identified himself during the meeting, said planning-and-zoning officials had approved a data-center project that initially mentioned natural-gas generators but that he was surprised to see solar proposals attached. "It is competing with the water," Nye said, urging commissioners to weigh water availability when considering large energy and data projects.

Nye criticized where project proponents planned to place excavated soil and the chosen site. He said SITRA and others had selected "the most perfect place on Earth," quoting a local figure, and proposed an alternative: "Put it north, put it west. Nobody has to look at it," Nye said, arguing that moving the site would reduce visual impacts even if it required additional transmission lines.

Nye warned of broader, lasting consequences if the commission approves rezoning for the project: "So we're not approving panels. We're approving anything else that's allowed in that zone," he said, stressing that a zoning change can enable uses beyond the current proposal.

Another commenter, who began the public comments by saying residents should not be "getting hit blindside," asked officials to provide materials earlier and to remember that they work for local residents. Donald Brown, later in the comment period, framed his remarks in personal and historical terms, listing long-rooted local family names and saying the desert and its wildlife are part of a way of life: "I can open my grandkids up in the truck, and we can go up there and look at wildlife solar panels," he said.

None of the remarks in the transcript record a formal motion or vote on the project. Speakers repeatedly urged caution and asked the commission to consider relocating the development and to fully evaluate water use, soil handling and the long-term implications of rezoning before taking formal action.