Your Voice, Our Town, Why Local Voices Matter More Than Ever

Received at Pizen Switch Times on 10.29.25

Your Voice, Our Town, Why Local Voices Matter More Than Ever

By Nathan Koop – Yerington, Nevada

There’s a point in every small town when silence costs more than speaking up. Yerington and the rest of Lyon County are there right now.

For generations this valley’s citizens didn’t need outsiders to tell them what mattered. They lived it. They built it. But lately that story’s being rewritten by people who don’t live here. People with outside capital, state permits and tidy words for change.

The proposed data center project near Yerington has become the latest test of that divide. The few supporters say it will bring jobs, tax revenue and modern infrastructure. They point to places like Reno and Fernley where industrial development has followed big investment and believe outside money could help without erasing rural character.

I disagree. I believe this project is not good for our valley. Yerington is one of the last true rural towns in Nevada, and I fear this project could muddy that identity and turn us into another version of a sprawling U.S. Parkway industrial corridor. The risks to our water, wildlife, roads, and the open skies we value are real and backed by facts.

The United States Geological Survey reports that both Mason and Smith Valleys part of the Walker River Basin have lost more than a quarter million acre feet of groundwater storage each between 1970 and 2020. That long term trend raises questions about how another large facility with heavy power and water demands, and large battery backup systems will affect our aquifers and wells. The site selection industry itself points out that for data centers in arid regions, water usage for cooling is a major environmental concern.

Public involvement is also a problem. The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners and the planning body hold meetings on weekday mornings often at 9 a.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month. That timing means many working residents can’t attend. Decisions about land use, zoning and industrial projects happen at times when the working class of this county are at work, leaving only a handful of voices to weigh in.

The valley’s population has grown roughly 20 percent over the last decade, driven in part by migration and commercial investment. Growth isn’t bad in itself, but when it comes without local control or long term strategy it can erode what makes Yerington unique. If we allow big industrial campuses to establish themselves here without full community oversight, there’s a risk we’ll trade more than we gain. We might trade our quiet skies, open land and ranching heritage for power lines, cooling towers and bigger corporate footprints.

Whether you see the data center as progress or risk, the debate captures a larger truth about this place, decisions made in quiet meeting rooms will shape the valley long after the headlines fade. The question isn’t only about tech or taxes it’s about who gets to define Yerington’s future, and whether the people who built this town will still have the loudest say in it.

And finally, we should remember that arguing from a place of ignorance just to be contrary is the lowest form of debate. It does nothing but weaken your credibility and divide neighbors who all want the same thing a good life and a better town. If we abandon facts for attitude, we won’t just lose this argument we’ll lose the valley itself.

****************************

How To Submit a Letter to the Editor

• Letter to the editor: Email a letter of 500 words or fewer to leahwilkinson@pizenswitchtimes.com

Include your name and the town you live in — these WILL be published. Also include your address and phone number for verification purposes only — these will NOT be published or used for any purpose beyond contacting you about your letter, if needed.

We prioritize submissions from local writers, followed by those writing about Nevada issues.

If we use your submission, we will let you know when it is scheduled to appear online at pizenswitchtimes.com . The Pizen Switch Times reserves the right to edit letters, and whether to publish them or not. Only one letter (per writer) may be submitted every 30 days.

We will not knowingly publish Libel: Defined as FALSE, written statements that damage a person’s reputation.