Box Elder, Iron counties race to write data center rules as moratoriums wind down

Box Elder and Iron counties are drafting rules for large data centers as their 180-day moratoriums, the longest allowed under Utah law, pass the halfway mark, KUER reported. ^[1]

Iron County's planning commission in early October recommended rules covering data centers with at least 50 megawatts of anticipated IT load, along with large power plants, battery storage and industrial campuses. The draft would limit water use to 50,000 gallons a day, require efficient cooling systems such as closed-loop or dry cooling, and bar developers from requiring county staff to sign nondisclosure agreements. County planner Brett Hamilton said the rules would not affect the already approved Antelope Data Campus. ^[1]

In Box Elder County, where the Stratos Project drew fierce opposition, community development director Scott Lyons said public blowback and survey data are steering the county toward "the very restrictive end." The county is also zoning previously unzoned land, which Lyons said left planners unable to say no. The county aims to put a draft before its planning commission Nov. 19 and the county commission in December. ^[1]

Logan, which has its own moratorium, is drafting rules that would allow only smaller data centers in industrial parks, at least 1,000 feet from homes, with a planning commission hearing expected in December, the station reported. ^[1]