Plan For Data Center Puts Spotlight On Lax Fremont County Zoning Laws
A small data center project is emerging in eastern Fremont County, Wyoming, prompting local officials to consider developing specific zoning regulations for data centers in unincorporated areas. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing a request from ETC DC OpCo LLC to install natural gas-fired emergency generators for the facility. Currently, Fremont County has limited zoning laws, making data centers an 'allowable activity.'
A small data center project, proposed by ETC DC OpCo LLC, is taking shape in eastern Fremont County, Wyoming, near the Lost Cabin Gas Plant and roughly three miles northeast of the unincorporated community of Lysite. ETC DC OpCo LLC is associated with Related Digital, an investment platform of New York-based Related Companies, which has a larger $1.2 billion data center campus under development in Cheyenne.
The development has cast a spotlight on Fremont County's lax zoning laws, as it is one of the few Wyoming counties without countywide zoning regulations outside municipal boundaries. County officials, including Commissioner Michael Jones and Planning Director Steve Baumann, admit to having limited information about the project. Jones expressed surprise that such a facility would be considered locally given the area's history.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Air Quality Division is currently reviewing a request from ETC DC OpCo LLC to install eight natural gas-fired emergency generator engines at the site. Public comments on this proposed approval are being accepted through September 14. Depending on the project's scope, additional permits, such as for water discharge, could be required.
Fremont County’s culture is described as