SPANISH FORK, Utah — A group of Spanish Fork citizens has filed for a referendum to be held on the Title 15 Amendment, which recently set requirements for data centers that generate their own electricity.
City officials confirmed the application was submitted Monday afternoon. They now have 20 days to review the application, beginning Tuesday.
Locals in Spanish Fork joined a growing number of Utahns who’ve fought back against a data center project coming to their community when a proposal started getting discussed at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon this summer.
“The concern is not that data centers exist,” said Teresa Wood. “The concern is that they’re coming too quickly with too many unknowns and we’re playing a game of catch up.”
The Provo-based company known as Volition was set to move in less than a mile away from Wood. She was among many who spoke up. On Sept.21, the council approved an amendment to the city's land use code, known as Title 15.
“Title 15 took us as close as you could possibly get to full protection,” Wood said. “But nothing is as secure as distance.”
She was beyond relieved when the company informed them that they would move the project miles away to an industrial area west of I-15 called Stockman Flats.
While this plan isn’t set in stone yet, Volition CEO Jeff Chavez said he wanted to bring this project to this area to ease the minds of concerned neighbors. But his project may still face another roadblock.
“I had a citizen reach out to my personal page and say, ‘Hey, we’re filing a referendum. Where do we start? What do we do?’” said Farrah Pliley.
Pliley is with the Box Elder Accountability Referendum group, or "BEAR," which formed back in the spring when the Stratos project first caused an uproar.
She said their efforts continue in far northern Utah.
“We are just in the litigation process right now,” Pliley said, as they continue to appeal the denial of their own referendum application.
Pliley and other BEAR members are using their experience to support other communities like Spanish Fork. So she amplified the call for a referendum on the Title 15 Amendment.
“Make sure you put your voice out there because it does make a difference. We’re seeing that,” said Pliley.
There is also a county-wide ordinance in the works.
“Whether it's a data center or any industrial-type project, we want to make sure there are protections for our citizens,” said Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner.
She said they’ve been approached by six potential project groups just in the past year, so they’re looking to put those protections in for county lands before anything is built.
“Number one, we want to make sure that any impact to infrastructure is paid for by the business,” Powers Gardner said. “Number two, we want to make sure we’re not negatively affecting our citizens, and number three, we want to protect the environment for future generations.”
The commissioner said the ordinance will require developers to attend two public meetings before they can apply for a permit, and they will have to send postcards to anyone within a one-mile radius of the project. There are also requirements it will set for energy, water use and more.
Powers Gardner said they’re taking lessons learned from elsewhere.
“So that anyone who wants to come here knows that you’re going to come here as a benefit to the community,” said Powers Gardner.
Powers Gardner said that data center ordinance is still with Utah County’s planning commission. They will meet to discuss it further in October.