Residents push Tooele County to delay data center rules over water, power concerns
More than 800 Tooele County residents are urging county officials to delay a proposed ordinance establishing data center standards. Residents cite concerns about water use, electricity demand, emissions, public health and emergency response, while county staff recommends adopting the rules.
Tooele County residents organized by TooeleCARES plan to rally and deliver a letter with more than 800 signatures before a Planning Commission meeting, asking officials not to approve Chapter 34 as written. The proposed ordinance would establish standards for data centers in unincorporated Tooele County, which county planning staff says is necessary because the county currently lacks facility-specific regulations.
Residents want the county to study potential impacts on groundwater, air quality, noise, wildlife, energy demand and emergency infrastructure before adopting rules. County resident and TooeleCARES member Amy Lawson said the group believes the proposal contains vague standards and insufficiently enforceable safeguards. Separately, the group is working with Utah Versus Tech Billionaires to seek a statewide pause on data center development, although no formal data center application has yet been submitted in Tooele County.