Tooele residents voice concerns over proposed data center, public financing
Tooele Valley residents are actively opposing a proposed 584-acre data center project near the Great Salt Lake, citing critical concerns about water usage during a severe drought. They urged the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) to halt public financing and await the finalization of Tooele County's data center ordinance. UIPA acknowledges the concerns and notes that a data center moratorium is currently in place, with no financial support yet committed to the project.
Tooele Valley residents, organized under the community group TooeleCARES, expressed significant concerns at a Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) board meeting regarding a proposed 584-acre data center. The project, located within the Interstate Technology Park Public Infrastructure District and adjacent to the Great Salt Lake's wetlands, faces strong community opposition primarily due to its potential water usage. TooeleCARES highlighted Utah's drought emergency, Governor Spencer Cox's declaration, and the critically low levels of the Great Salt Lake, as well as the already over-appropriated Tooele Valley groundwater basin.
Amy Lawson, a community organizer for TooeleCARES, stated that the region already carries a disproportionate industrial burden and questioned the use of tax dollars to subsidize a development perceived as harmful. The group delivered a letter, signed by over 1,100 residents and allies, requesting the UIPA Board to decline any financing for the project until all community concerns are addressed in a public hearing. They also called for a suspension of private coordination between UIPA and the developer, urging that action be delayed until Tooele County finalizes its Chapter 34 data center ordinance.
UIPA Executive Director Ben Hart acknowledged the community's input, clarifying that the proposed data center has not been approved and no financial support has been moved by the Port Authority. He emphasized UIPA's commitment to transparency and working with counties to achieve community goals. Hart confirmed that a moratorium on data centers is currently in place, and UIPA is following Tooele County's lead as it finalizes its regulations for data centers and other large developments. He reiterated that all future decisions regarding the project would be made in public meetings.