 - The Fremont County Commission discussed the possibility of developing zoning regulations for data centers this week after local residents raised concerns about a facility being developed near Lysite.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – The Fremont County Commission discussed the possibility of developing zoning regulations for data centers this week after local residents raised concerns about a facility being developed near Lysite.
Information about the local project is limited, but the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division did receive a permit request in July from a company called ETC DC OpCo, LLC to install eight natural gas-fired emergency generator engines at the site.
The application materials indicate that “the generator sets will be used to supply emergency electricity in case of an emergency such as a loss of utility supplied electricity.”
Otherwise, the application indicates that “the data center will utilize electricity supplied by High Plains Power.”
Zoning
The permit application for the generators also includes a letter from Fremont County Planning Director Steve Baumann to Aethel Energy confirming that the Fremont County Commission “has not adopted any zoning or other land use regulations for the unincorporated portions of the county.”
“As your activity (at) 67 Lost Cabin Road … is located within the unincorporated portion of the county, there are no regulations that would prohibit this activity at this address,” Baumann wrote.
Commission Chairman Larry Allen said that lack of zoning was the most prevalent concern local residents raised in the comments that have been submitted about the data center project in recent weeks.
That’s despite the fact that, historically, local residents have been opposed to countywide zoning regulations, he noted.
“I would say the majority of the county does not want zoning,” Allen said. “But in this case, if it was to protect the residents and the environment … we can discuss that and have some ideas how we can maybe instill the zoning regulations limited to data centers.”
The process will take time, however, he said, cautioning the Commission against having a “knee jerk reaction” and doing “something wrong.”
“We have to do the research,” he said. “We need to do our homework. … It’s not something we can just step into and just say, ‘Oh, this is our policy right here.’ We need to take our time and do it right.”
Public comment
During public comment Tuesday, Wyoming Rep. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, suggested that the Commission could also enter into development agreements with companies that plan to build data centers in Fremont County.
Those agreements should “clearly protect the interests of county residents, taxpayers, landowners, and future generations,” she said, noting that, “while data centers can bring a significant investment and expand the local tax base, the details of the agreement will ultimately determine whether the project delivers lasting public benefits or places additional burdens on county resources.”
For example, Ottman said, “attention should be given to the developer’s commitments regarding water consumption, electrical power demand, and infrastructure expansion,” and “the agreement should also establish measurable performance standards” as well as “accountability provisions” that “ensure that public expectations are met and that remedies exist if project commitments are not fulfilled.”
Former Lander resident Taylor Pajunen echoed some of those comments later, asking the Commission to “continue talking about how Fremont County can be a leader that proactively puts in measures to abate the consequences and destruction of data centers.”
“I urge you (to) continue focusing on the types of prevention strategies you’ll take as a board to ensure lasting policies that can keep large companies out,” she said.
Several other residents also spoke about the potential impacts of data centers in Fremont County this week, expressing concern about water resources and post-project remediation efforts and predicting that local officials will continue to receive negative feedback from constituents as the project near Lysite develops.
County 10 has reached out to multiple individuals associated with the data center project in Lysite but had not received any responses as of Tuesday afternoon.
However, during Tuesday’s Commission meeting, Allen said he learned about the project when he “stopped by” the company’s office on personal business and “got to talking” with one of the employees there.
Based on that conversation, he said the data center project would be located in a “fairly small” building that was previously used as an indoor riding arena and later as a warehouse for the production company.
He was also told that the facility would utilize a “closed-loop” water system that wouldn’t be a drain on local resources and that the company is “going to use produced gas from the gas field to fire the generators – which in turn power the data center.”
An analysis of the DEQ permit application indicates that the eight emergency generator engines will each be limited to 100 hours of non-emergency operation annually.
That analysis, along with the permit application and DEQ public notice, are all available for public inspection through Sept. 14 at openair.wyo.gov.
To access the documents, click the “Applications” tab, enter Facility ID F032793 and Permit Number P0041283, then click “submit.”
The public comment period for the permit application is open through 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, and the DEQ says a public hearing about the permit application will be conducted “only if in the opinion of the administrator sufficient interest is generated or if an aggrieved party so requests.”
Written comments may be directed to DEQ Air Quality Division Administrator Amber Potts at 200 West 17th St., Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002, or by fax at (307) 635-1784.
Please reference A0019914 in your comment.
Comments about the permit application may also be submitted electronically at aq.wyomingdeq.commentinput.com.
Comments submitted by email will not be included in the administrative record.