900+ Tooele residents sign letter to not approve data center ordinance draft

TOOELE — A group of more than 900 people have signed a letter to the Tooele County Planning Commission, requesting that they "slow down" and refuse to approve the currently proposed draft of the county's data center ordinance.

The letter was circulated in part by TooeleCARES, an organization designed around "fostering community connections in Tooele County."

According to Amy Lawson with TooeleCARES, more than 900 people have signed the letter requesting that the planning commission and the Tooele City Council not approve the current draft Chapter 34 of the Tooele County Land Use Ordinance.

Jessica Perschon with TooeleCARES said the group had found loopholes in the current draft that would leave the community vulnerable in the future. The group is also concerned that the legislation used in Tooele may impact other Utah counties.

"We want to make sure that what's in this application is safe and beneficial, not only for Tooele, but for all residents in the state of Utah," she said.

Previous legislation regarding data centers has been halted by TooeleCARES before. Lawson said they would like a one-year moratorium across the state regarding data centers. However, if there is an ordinance passed in Tooele, she said it needs to be all-encompassing.

Rally

The organization plans to deliver the letter to the Tooele County Planning Commission Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Tooele County Council Chambers at its regularly scheduled meeting.

Before the meeting, TooeleCARES is calling for residents to gather outside the meeting place and hold a rally at 6:30 p.m. showing their support for the letter. Perschon hopes they will get at least 50 people there to connect with other concerned residents.

"A lot of people still aren't aware of what's happening," Perschon said. "Awareness is key."

Natalie Merriam with TooeleCARES said the rally is going to be informal, but hopes it will be a place where like-minded people can make connections with others in the community.

"We are not asking the County to prove there will never be any risk," the letter states. "We are asking you to slow the process down and answer the important questions first."

Merriam added that it seems the legislation is being pushed through too fast, without understanding the impact that the data centers might have on the community and environment in Tooele.

"We need to slow down and be careful," Merriam said.

KSL reached out to the Tooele County Planning Commission for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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