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Residents urge pause on proposed data centers and pipeline, citing water and climate concerns
Summary
At a June 2 Millard County Commission meeting, multiple residents urged commissioners to pause approval of data-center and pipeline proposals, raising concerns about groundwater, air emissions, and local economic benefits; the commission deferred a development agreement until a legal description is provided.
Residents, visitors and local officials pressed Millard County commissioners on June 2 to slow action on proposed data-center projects and a related natural-gas pipeline, citing water availability, climate impacts and uncertain economic benefits.
The commission held consideration of a legislative development agreement requested by Ju Capital Partners — including a proposed pipeline between Holden and McCornick — while staff obtain a legal description. Mark McDougall, representing Ju Capital Partners, told the board that "we think it's ready to submit and sign" but said the legal description was outstanding and the item was continued.
Why it matters: Commenters said the projects could place large, long-lasting demands on scarce water and on regional air and energy systems, and they urged more review before any approvals proceed. Johnny Larson, who identified himself as a Marine Corps veteran and a candidate for Congress, said, "I'm coming before you to ask that we put a hold on the data center project here" and asked the county to ensure jobs and other economic benefits would go to local residents. Several speakers warned that planned buildouts could reach gigawatt-scale consumption and that cumulative regional impacts deserve fuller study.
Speakers expressed diverging views about rights and remedies. One commenter asked whether the county had granted tax breaks; commissioners and staff responded that the county has not approved tax reductions for data centers and reminded the public that water rights and transfers are controlled by the state engineer, not the county.
Technical and policy points raised at the meeting included: - Water and aquifer reliance: Multiple commenters said the county and neighboring jurisdictions share watersheds and aquifers that are already stressed; they asked the commission to weigh long-term recharge and agricultural impacts before approving large industrial uses. - Scale and climate: Stephen Gail and others referred to project materials and past power-plant planning, expressing concern about greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel use tied to large power demands. - Technology uncertainty: Dan Smith urged caution on grounds that AI and data infrastructure are evolving rapidly, saying, "AI is something that even the people who built it don't understand yet," and recommended a pause to avoid long-term commitments that might become obsolete.
County response and next steps: Commissioners stressed that landowners have rights and that planning and zoning hearings are vetting the applications; they reiterated that the county has not granted tax breaks to the projects and noted regulatory oversight and compliance requirements. The commission delayed final action on the Ju Capital Partners development agreement until the county receives the missing legal description and indicated planning and zoning will continue its review.
What happens next: The ordinance and development agreement review will resume after staff provide the legal description and related materials to the county recorder and planning staff. No zoning approvals or final agreements were adopted at the June 2 meeting.
