Tooele County residents concerned about a developer’s proposal for a large-scale data center near the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake brought their frustrations to the Utah Inland Port Authority Board on Thursday. The plans are currently paused, with officials from both Tooele County and the port authority stating no development can proceed until the county considers a new ordinance regulating data center projects.
The group TooeleCARES delivered a letter signed by more than 1,100 Utahns, from both within and outside Tooele County, calling on the Utah Inland Port Authority to “decline to authorize any bonds or public financing” for the Interstate Technology Park Public Infrastructure District. This district, created by the port authority board earlier this year, is intended to finance infrastructure within UIPA’s 585-acre Tooele Valley project area, located near Burmester Road and I-80. The project area plan lists “data centers” as one potential industry that could receive incentives, alongside light industrial, manufacturing, and distribution, but it also notes that incentives are not guaranteed, and the UIPA board can decline applications.
Amy Lawson, a Tooele resident, addressed the board on Thursday, stating that none of the plans had been presented to the public. Lawson told the board, “We already carry more than our share of the state’s industrial burden. We are asking you not to help finance more of it sight unseen.” She also highlighted concerns about the Great Salt Lake and local well struggles.
Behind the scenes, developer Chuck Akerlow has been pushing county officials to allow a data center on the south end of that project area. This information comes from emails obtained by members of TooeleCARES through a public records request, which were shared this week with Utah News Dispatch.
Ben Hart, Executive Director of the Utah Inland Port Authority, spoke to Tooele County residents at the start of Thursday’s board meeting, assuring them that the port authority takes their concerns “seriously” and would not “slam anything through.” Hart clarified that the port authority’s agenda on Thursday did not include anything related to supporting a data center in Tooele Valley. He added, “not only do we not have anything on this agenda, but it’s possible and even likely that we will never have anything on our agenda to consider for that project area.”
Tooele County and Utah Inland Port Authority officials confirmed to Utah News Dispatch on Thursday that plans to build a data center in Tooele Valley are not currently moving forward. When asked if this meant the project was dead, Hart responded to Utah News Dispatch that “dead is a very strong word” but that he does “not consider it alive right now, that’s for sure.”
Tooele County leaders have put a pause on considering any data center applications until after the county’s planning commission and the Tooele County Council consider an ordinance regulating data center development. This ordinance is not expected to be brought before the planning commission until October and the County Council in November. Tooele County maintains land use authority in the port authority’s Tooele Valley project area, meaning development there depends on what the Tooele County Council allows, as Hart explained to Utah News Dispatch. Hart stated, “So we know nothing can move forward right now,” and that it’s hard to say if anything is active when there’s no clear pathway forward.
Hart also addressed a point in the residents’ letter asking the board to formally condition any future consideration of financing for the Tooele Valley project area on the County Council first adopting a data center ordinance. Hart committed, “You have our 100% commitment. We’re not bringing anything to our board until we get a very clear green light from any community that we’re working with.” He further added that UIPA will “never bring anything to our board unless we know that the community is OK with it,” concluding, “Very clearly, Tooele Valley (and) Tooele County are signaling they are not OK with it. And thus, we are not OK with it.”
Concerns about data center impacts on the Great Salt Lake, particularly regarding wastewater, have been growing. Earlier this year, the Utah Inland Port Authority issued a statement outlining its position, emphasizing a “measured and transparent approach” that reflects Utah’s priorities, including economic competitiveness, responsible growth, community health, and protection of natural resources. The statement affirmed that UIPA “will not risk those resources, or the integrity of the organization, by fast-tracking data center development.”
Hart also noted that Utah lawmakers passed HB507 earlier this year, a law that bans cities and counties from providing incentives to “large load” data centers unless they are located within a “regionally significant development zone.” While this provision does not take effect until May 2027, Hart told Utah News Dispatch that the port authority board “has already determined they want these types of projects… going through the regionally significant development zone process.” This would mean final approval would come from a different board created under the new law, not the UIPA board.
Akerlow, principal owner of Zenith Development, is a member of the Interstate Technology Park Public Infrastructure District, as is his Zenith Development partner Matt Smock. An email obtained by TooeleCARES, sent a year ago on Sept. 3, 2025, shows Akerlow informed Rachelle Custer, Tooele County’s community development director, of a commitment to bring a 24-inch high pressure natural gas line to the property, capable of producing 140 megawatts. Akerlow wrote about non-disclosure agreements with prominent high-tech companies and a Letter of Intent with a public nuclear power company. However, Akerlow also told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this year that his project would not be possible without incentives and financing from the port authority. Emails further indicate Akerlow has faced permitting obstacles, including frustrations over a version of the data center ordinance county officials were considering.
