Monarch Data Center

A retired Army warrant officer pitched a public-domain concept to pipe waste heat from the Monarch data center into a 50-acre greenhouse, saving water and shielding the backup generators.

Said all they heard was negative information, noted most data centers use closed-loop cooling, and asked whether the location could be moved.

Urged the board to delay the vote until its data center ordinance is in place, saying 95-foot buildings are too tall, there are no setbacks, and 95% of prior speakers opposed the project.

Supported the data center, saying Yerington offers few opportunities for young people and that decisions should be made on merit, not emotion.

Cited Tahoe Reno Industrial Center data: Story County data centers paid $9M and $5.5M in annual property taxes after abatements, and the entire industrial park used only 2,700 acre-feet of water last year.

Warned the volcanic geology and noise could trigger earthquakes affecting water, and described the valley as sacred to the Yerington Paiute, urging protection.

Read the Yerington Paiute Tribe's resolution (RY 2616) formally opposing the data center, citing NEPA and protection of cultural and traditional lands.

Opposed the project on behalf of the Yerington Paiute, citing lighting, water, and noise impacts on the community, eagle and hawk deaths from power lines, and reports of burials on the site.

Charged that the traffic study's data was originally dated May 2025 with the year later changed to 2026, and demanded a current traffic impact report before any approval.

Said the county took an oath to protect everyone including Native people and has failed to conduct government-to-government consultation on the project.

Said thousands of facts have been presented and the vast majority of residents don't want the data center; detailed its energy demand (equivalent to a large nuclear plant) and potential 5 million gallons/day water use.

Asked that item 6B be discussed and voted separately rather than rushed through, saying no safeguards exist yet and the applicant can reapply after an ordinance is adopted.

A longtime local said the town needs jobs — his wife's employer is down to two days a week — and supported the data center as an economic boost.

A 37-year tech industry veteran said most data center jobs are outsourced and warned the county would get maybe 20 on-site positions; urged the board to follow Elko's example and decline.

Spoke against the project in spiritual and prophetic terms, calling data centers mass surveillance centers.

Acknowledged change is hard but supported approval, saying $45/hour jobs will keep young people in town and benefit hospitals, schools, and a dying downtown.

Urged full inspections and disclosure before approval, questioned foreign (Swedish) ownership, and said the project is too big for the local fire department to be responsible for.

A 77-year resident compared today's opposition to that against the Anaconda mine, said the closed-loop water system will use very little water, and supported the project for its economic potential.

Said the internet itself runs on data centers, the town is dying, and construction workers will spend money locally — urged approval.

A Yerington Paiute member said there were 'shady deals,' no transparency, and no federally required tribal consultation; questioned the closed-loop water claims.

Criticized recent arrivals opposing progress and defended the project as the American tradition of innovation, saying the traffic is just part of life.

Warned of 5,000 more cars a day for two years, diesel construction pollution, property value collapse, blackouts, and low-frequency noise reaching downtown Yerington.

Raised heat-island effects, liquefaction risk from sandy soil and shallow groundwater, soil corrosion, and demanded comprehensive earthquake, dewatering, and wildlife baseline studies.

Presented a case study of Prineville, Oregon, where data centers helped raise wages from $34K to $72K and unemployment fell from 20% to 6%, while noting housing and noise trade-offs.

Believed the decision was already made and demanded to know the end user; asked for a moratorium until ordinances are adopted and said grandfathering questions were confusing.

A Walker River Paiute council member said her tribe strongly opposes the project, that promised outreach never happened, and raised cattle-abortion and water concerns downstream.

A retired school maintenance worker said Yerington's schools are the oldest in the county and need rebuilding money the district doesn't have — implicitly supporting new revenue.

Representing the Rivilio family (farming since 1975), supported item 6B, citing staff review, high-tech jobs for local graduates, and tax revenue for schools and services.

A Penrose Lane resident asked the board to postpone action pending her ethics complaint about a planning commissioner who owns a construction company and voted on the project; detailed view, height, and property value concerns.

Dayton resident who accused Commissioners Jacobson and Keller of acting as data center advertisers and demanded a moratorium and halt, calling the centers a danger to water and health.

Formally asked for a temporary moratorium on new data centers, calling the draft ordinance weak and its 300-foot setbacks 'embarrassing.'

Cited 25 canceled data center projects in 2025 and hundreds of moratoriums nationally; said the project is being rushed due to infrastructure waitlists and decried NDA use and shell LLCs.

Walker River Paiute tribal chairman, read the tribe's resolution (WR 532026) demanding denial of all permits, citing water quantity and quality impacts on the reservation downstream.

Documented what he called an interconnected development pipeline of overlapping public-private appointments and said 'ignorance is no longer available as an excuse' before a vote.

Sierra Club organizer argued the PUD fails Lyon County Code findings D, E, and F on traffic, fire risk, neighborhood impacts, and public protection; demanded an independent water study.

Quoted each commissioner's own campaign language about protecting rural Lyon County and asked them to honor those pledges with a no vote, citing 219 moratoriums nationally.

Lives a mile from the site with livestock; raised unaddressed EMF, vibration, and 24/7 generator pollution; asked for a moratorium.

A Fernley High student said his grandparents died from mine pollution and asked how many more relatives must be lost before the board changes course.

Said promises mean nothing without enforcement — 'shut them down until they do' — and later announced a recall petition for Commissioners Keller and Hendrix and plans for judicial review.

A third-generation union rep with LiUNA supported the project, citing 200+ local worker careers on Washington state data centers and tax revenue funding schools and libraries.

President of Laborers Local 169, in support: data centers bring good construction and operational jobs and tax revenues that build schools and infrastructure.

Business manager of Laborers Local 169, representing ~2,500 members in northern Nevada, said the project brings excellent jobs and apprenticeship opportunities and is in support.

Silver Springs property owner twice urged denial, calling approval of a hyperscale data center in Yerington 'extremely irresponsible' and saying a yes vote shows disregard for fellow human beings.

Representing People of Red Mountain and Life of the Land movement, stood in absolute opposition on behalf of Walker River Paiute relatives, citing sacred ceremonial waters and ancestral burial sites.

Said approving the project without independent water data violates the county master plan's water protection policies, noted 2,400 petition signatures, and demanded denial.

A Yerington Paiute member said Copia's own open house confirmed hybrid evaporative cooling on hot days with no threshold answers; asked the board to protect water security.

Online commenter from Smith Valley was appalled by union members refusing to give up seats for seniors, and predicted a boom-and-bust that would hurt the area.

Demanded each commissioner justify their vote before casting it, said the board is 'building a house with no foundation,' and noted industrial uses belong in industrial zoning.

Cited studies on data center water use, air pollution deaths, and heat islands and urged denial, telling commissioners to remember who they work for.

Thanked commissioners for their diligence and courage in taking on the hard questions, calling the project the single largest opportunity for the community and state.

Argued the NDOT attachment contains a wrong year, said the project legally cannot proceed on that basis, and raised homeland security and fire concerns.

Lives less than half a mile from the site; said property values will plummet and residents will be 'stuck like a ball and chain,' and suggested the project go to Pine Grove instead.

From Reno, questioned the $15B vs $12B investment figures, the geotech report's third-party disclaimer, the H&H report's Maricopa Energy title, and NV Energy's inability to supply 1,000 MW until 2037.

Asked for denial or continuance until binding water and power protections survive the land sale and ownership change.

Asked the board to deny or continue the Monarch zone change until the full operating campus is on public record, citing disputed water numbers (100 vs 800 acre-feet) and missing enforceable agreements.

Requested a formal hearing on the approved Monarch data center PUD before it moves forward, citing missing engineering answers on water use and recently appointed planning commissioners deciding the matter.