Pushback on Utah Inland Port Authority over data center development
Health and environmental groups are opposing a proposed data center complex in Iron County that could include a 200-megawatt gas power plant. The Utah Inland Port Authority canceled a meeting where it was expected to vote on an amendment that would support the development, prompting calls for the authority to adopt a policy against subsidizing data centers.
A coalition of health and environmental organizations held a news conference after the Utah Inland Port Authority canceled, with roughly 24 hours' notice, a meeting scheduled to consider an amendment affecting a proposed data center complex in Iron County. The development could include a gas-fired power plant of up to 200 megawatts, and approval would give the project access to the authority's fast-tracking and subsidy mechanisms.
Deeda Seed, senior Utah campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Cedar Valley area already faces a water deficit of roughly 7,000 acre-feet and should not receive additional state-supported industrial development. She urged the authority to adopt a binding policy against supporting data centers, citing risks to Great Salt Lake wetlands, water levels, hydrology and wildlife. Seed also described other proposed projects in Tooele, Fairfield and Millard counties, while noting that local communities are trying to respond before developers obtain vested development rights.