Press Release — June 3, 2026

JONNY LARSEN AND UTAH RESIDENTS PROTEST JOULE CAPITAL DATA CENTER PIPELINE AT MILLARD COUNTY COMMISSION

The data center installation would require upwards of 12 gigawatts of power, and a generous amount of water

Federal candidate for Utah’s Congressional District 4, Jonny Larsen, led local constituents expressing their worries with the proposed Joule Capital data center pipeline at the Millard County Commission in Fillmore, UT. The data center installation would require upwards of 12 gigawatts of power, and a generous amount of water – water that residents already under drought conditions feel is poor use of the state’s precious resource.

Larsen opened the minutes for public input by imploring the commission to reconsider moving forward with the pipeline. Referring to the data center proposed for Box Elder County, he argued the substantial temperature increase it would have on the surrounding environment.

“The one down in Box Elder is going to increase the air temperature by 20 degrees Celsius,” Larsen said, “We are in a drought and we cannot afford the water to spend to cool these things right now without further review. I just ask that we wait until we can establish the impact on all of that so that we can provide water to our residents.”

Following Larsen’s opening comments, both residents from local and surrounding counties openly shared their concerns about the stress the data center will have on Utah’s devastatingly low water levels. After a mild winter, Utah’s starting off the summer season with approximately 25% of its expected snow cap. Dan Smith, a resident of Millcreek told the County Commission there is no reason to rush forward on this development when discoveries from its own founders suggest the costs outweigh the benefits.

“AI is something even the people who built it [don’t] know how it works.” Smith said, “They’re finding more problems with it than they’re solving. What’s the finish line? They can’t tell you,” he said.

“When are we going to say, ‘This is enough?’” said Steven Gale, a local resident of Fillmore, UT. Gale petitioned the Commission raising his voice on the trouble the data center would be for crops and vegetation.

“Our whole society is addicted to carbon fuel,” Gale said, “...the effects, it is going to have locally here in this county and also in the state of Utah.”

“The natural gas emits sixty percent of what the coal does,” said County Commission Chair Trevor Johnson. Referring to Gale’s work as a coal miner, Johnson asked him about his protest to carbon emissions after so many years.

“So if you’re concerned about now, why weren’t you concerned over the last forty years when we didn’t have to worry?” said Johnson.

“I had four or five young children,” Gale said, “I was focused on raising my family, just like these young fathers are now that have children they want to stay in the city. I understand them. I understand where they’re at, and I’m not being hypocritical about this. I am concerned about what’s going to happen twenty years from now.”

Commissioner Vicki Lyman pushed back on constituents’ concerns saying beating the competition is the more pressing issue.

“We have to stay ahead of China,” Lyman said. She insisted if the citizens are so worried about pollution, their focus should be elsewhere.

“You guys come here and you start throwing out all this stuff about pollution and stuff and how we’ve got to stop these data centers,” Lyman said, “You want to know where the biggest polluter in the state is? It’s up at Salt Lake Airport. So, why don’t you guys go up there and shut down all the jets? That’s where you guys should be if you want to stop all the pollution.”

Before voting on the Joule Capital pipeline, the County Commission announced they were closing the meeting to the public, and dismissed all attendees.