Judge dismisses citizens’ request for data center permit review
A Third District Court judge dismissed a petition filed by residents requesting a judicial review of a conditional use permit for Prometheus Hyperscale's data center near Evanston. The judge ruled that the petitioners failed to demonstrate how they were adversely affected and lacked statutory standing. Separately, an objection regarding Wyoming's Open Meetings Act and public records requests was filed.
Third District Court Judge James Kaste has dismissed a formal petition seeking judicial review of a conditional use permit issued by the Uinta County Commission to Prometheus Hyperscale for a data center project near Evanston, Wyoming.
The petition was filed on July 16 by residents Christy Katzl, Wilhelm Katzl, and Marijke Rossi, who cited concerns over property values, community, and environmental safety, and alleged that county officials and developers held private meetings without public advertisement. They also claimed a failure to conduct environmental impact studies, especially concerning the data center's proposed "closed-loop" system, and accused Commissioners Mark Anderson and Eric South of nepotism in the project's approval.
Uinta County Attorney Loretta Howieson Kallas filed a motion to dismiss the petition on July 24. While Rossi voluntarily withdrew from the petition, the remaining petitioners were issued an order of dismissal on August 17. Judge Kaste's ruling stated that the petitioners failed to respond to the motion within the allowed timeframe and did not sufficiently allege how they were aggrieved or adversely affected by the county's decision, thus lacking statutory standing to challenge the conditional use permit.
Separately, Christy Katzl filed an objection and notice of violation of the Wyoming Open Meetings Act on August 4, reiterating grievances and alleging that the county failed to respond to multiple public records requests. Kallas publicly addressed these complaints during an August 4 county commission meeting, noting that Katzl had not completed the appropriate request forms, but the Uinta County Clerk's office still had 30 days to fulfill the requests if they chose to proceed without the forms.