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Residents urge Box Elder County to halt data-center projects, call for moratorium
Summary
Dozens of residents and visitors packed the county commission’s public-comment period on May 27 to urge commissioners to pause data-center approvals, citing water use, energy demand and threats to the Great Salt Lake; Commissioner Lee Perry proposed discussing a moratorium at a future meeting.
Dozens of residents and visitors urged the Box Elder County Commission on May 27 to pause approvals of large data centers, arguing the projects would consume scarce water, increase heat and emissions in the valley and threaten the Great Salt Lake.
“Is it the reason that we are losing water in the Great Salt Lake,” asked DeAnna Hardy of Brigham City, arguing that zoning should be used sparingly and that data centers “require an abundant amount of water and power.”
Victoria Mounga of Utah County told commissioners the proposed project “will over double the power usage of our grid” and said she was concerned about long-term jobs and local costs. Several speakers, including Naomi Lish and M. R. Cannon, disputed claims that protesters were being “bused in,” and said most opponents are local residents worried about water for households and farming.
Speakers cited a range of technical and health concerns. High-school–age activist Finley Whitney said the facilities would require large amounts of energy and alleged the onsite cooling would add heat to the valley; Whitney asked commissioners to support a referendum and to “slow down the process.” Youth Coalition representative India Elliott said the projects would directly affect wetlands and wildlife that depend on the Great Salt Lake.
Commissioner Lee Perry had said earlier in the meeting he would like to discuss “a moratorium on data centers and getting the rest of the county zoned at the next meeting.” The commission did not adopt a moratorium at the May 27 session; several speakers asked the board to extend public comment periods and delay any final approvals.
The public-comment period also included repeated appeals to consider the lake’s ecology and long-term local water needs. Multiple commenters asked commissioners to prioritize “people over profits” and to require fuller environmental review before allowing proposed developments to proceed.
The commission acknowledged the speakers and said comments were being noted. No formal vote on a moratorium was recorded at the May 27 meeting; Commissioner Perry said he would bring the topic back for discussion at a future session.
