Mona Residents Say Four-Minute Hearing Waved Through $10B Data Center
Residents in Mona, Utah, are protesting the approval of a $10 billion data center in Juab County, claiming the conditional use permit was approved after a four-minute hearing with insufficient public input. An opposition group, Mona Cares Neighborhood for Responsible Development, is demanding a public hearing and transparency from county officials. Questions regarding water use and electricity demand are also part of the ongoing debate.
Residents of Juab County, Utah, particularly those in the Mona area, are expressing outrage over the swift approval of a proposed $10 billion data center project. The development, slated to bring approximately 3 million square feet of data center space near Mona, was approved by county planning officials through a zone change and conditional use permit after what residents claim was a mere four-minute hearing with minimal public input.
Taylor Flake, spokesperson for the group Mona Cares Neighborhood for Responsible Development, told KSL News that county commissioners themselves did not approve the project, but rather planning officials did. Flake and other residents, as well as Mona city leaders, assert they were largely unaware of the project prior to its approval. Juab County Commissioner Clint Painter stated the county followed state requirements for public notice, including newspaper postings.
However, Painter admitted uncertainty regarding the commissioners' authority to rescind the conditional use permit or restart the approval process. Residents are now demanding a public hearing before any further decisions are made on the project, which currently has no completed buildings. The controversy also highlights broader concerns about water usage and the projected 4.7% increase in nationwide electricity demand over the next five years, with data centers historically relying on water-intensive evaporative cooling systems.