Group rallies against data center project in Iron County
A coalition of advocacy groups rallied at the Utah State Capitol against plans involving the Juniper Zone in Iron County, which they say could support a large data center campus. The Utah Inland Port Authority canceled a vote on acquiring more land, but opponents are urging the authority to withdraw the zone and pledge not to support data centers.
Advocacy groups gathered at the Utah State Capitol after the Utah Inland Port Authority canceled a planned vote to obtain additional land connected to the Juniper Zone in Iron County. The groups argue that the site could support a major data center campus and receive taxpayer-backed financial assistance through the authority.
The authority said it is not actively recruiting data centers, offering them financial incentives or exercising land-use authority, while acknowledging that a facility could still be developed within one of its project areas. The Juniper site is next to the Kern River Natural Gas Pipeline, and plans call for a roughly 2,000-megawatt gas-fired power plant to serve a potential data center campus. Opponents called for the zone to be withdrawn and for the authority to permanently stop supporting data center development.