Meta wants hearing, $10K fine refunded in data center water case
Meta is appealing a $10,000 pollution fine from the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities related to a data center construction site. The company argues the fine is unsupported by evidence and that it shouldn't be responsible for cleanup costs associated with bacteria found. Meta has requested a hearing with a state administrative office to resolve the dispute.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is disputing a $10,000 fine imposed by the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities regarding a pollution citation at a data center construction site in Cheyenne. The tech giant has filed a six-page appeal of a "notice of noncompliance," asserting that the utility agency incorrectly identified Meta as the responsible party, failed to provide a legal basis for the fine, and lacked evidence linking the hazardous bacteria, Cupriavidus gilardii, to the Meta Cheyenne Data Center.
Meta also contends that the Board has not proven that any cleanup costs it seeks to recover were directly caused by Goat Systems, a company Meta utilized for preliminary business operations before publicly announcing its data center plans in 2024. The appeal requests a formal hearing with the state's independent office for administrative conflict resolution. The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities has previously declined to comment on the discovery of the deadly bacteria, which it claimed originated from an industrial user, but indicated it would pursue "significant remediation efforts" and cost recovery.