Box Elder County data center debate intensifies as foes, supporters trade barbs

SALT LAKE CITY — A week after Box Elder County officials gave the green light to the Stratos Project Area data center project, debate keeps escalating and intensifying.

Kevin O'Leary, the Canadian businessman behind the initiative, took aim at some of the project's foes by name in an interview with Fox News, suggesting that opponents, chiefly concerned about its environmental repercussions, may be working with the Chinese government. Box Elder County officials, meanwhile, say moves to halt the project by forcing a vote on the two resolutions approved last week that allow the plans to proceed wouldn't necessarily stop the initiative.

"So these are proxies for the Chinese government, is my argument," O'Leary, wearing a suit and flip-flops, said Monday, referencing the online attacks against the plans. "And if they're not, 'cause I want them to be able to defend their name — Taylor, Josh and Gabi — come out, come out wherever you are. Let's audit your books. Let's show the people of Utah you actually care about them."

Critics rebuff the talk of Chinese infiltration as they await word on whether their petitions to seek ballot referendums on the two resolutions pass legal muster. The O'Leary Digital plans call for a data center operation and installation of up to 9 gigawatts of power-producing capacity to serve the operation spread across some 40,000 acres of land.

"Take your lies, your data center and your toes back to the cartoon villain lair you came from, Kevin," said Gabi Finlayson of Elevate Utah and Elevate Strategies, the "Gabi" O'Leary referenced. "The only foreign actor here is the Canadian billionaire pretending he cares about Utah more than the people who live here."

The Alliance for a Better Utah posted a message on its Facebook page in response to O'Leary's comments, saying the nonprofit organization "holds politicians accountable and advocates for progressive policies in Utah." It was founded by Joshua Kanter, according to the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and used to be led by Taylor Knuth, the others name-checked by O'Leary.

Representatives from several groups lobbying against the data center plans are also planning a demonstration at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, when they plan to unveil an open letter of opposition to the project to Gov. Spencer Cox. The rally starts at 10:30 a.m.

"This is probably the most uniting issue I've ever seen in Utah in my lifetime," said Aubri Devashrayee, part of a coalition of project opponents working under the umbrella of a new organization, Utah Residents Organized for Oversight, Transparency and Stewardship, or Utah ROOTS. People "all across the political spectrum" are rallying against the plans, whether due to environmental concerns, fears of government overreach or worries their viewpoints aren't being taken into consideration.

The plans jumped to the public forefront last month after a state body, the Military Installation Development Authority, signed off on a development agreement, tax-incentive plan and other accords paving the way for the project to proceed, touted by backers as key to national security. Because the bulk of the project area is on private land in Box Elder County, Box Elder County commissioners had to sign off on the plans and they approved the needed two resolutions on May 4.

Cox supports the plans but acknowledged late last week that the foes have "real concerns," after initially dismissing their criticism. The opponents, however, seem to be redoubling their efforts.

Farrah Pliley of Box Elder Accountability Referendum, or BEAR, said her group filed the second of two applications on Friday seeking authority to petition for a ballot referendum on the May 4 action by county commissioners. The Tremonton woman is one of more than 20 Box Elder County residents who signed on as sponsors of each of the two applications.

"Right now we're just awaiting review from the county attorney," said Pliley. If the county attorney determines the applications comply with state law, "the next step would be a 45-day signature-gathering period."

State law outlines the mechanism for challenging actions by elected bodies. If the petition effort is authorized to proceed, those involved would need to collect 5,422 valid signatures on each petition to force a vote on whether the resolutions should be upheld or repealed.

"I do have hope that we can do that, because I know a lot of people are very upset about this," Pliley said.

Box Elder County spokeswoman Lynette Crockett issued a statement Monday saying county officials have 20 days to review the applications. However, even if the challenge process proceeds and ultimately prevails, it wouldn't necessarily halt the data center plans, as sought by project opponents.

"If the referendum moves forward successfully, it would void the consent and agreement approved by the Box Elder County commissioners — not necessarily stop the project itself," reads the statement. O'Leary could theoretically keep pursuing his plans, "but without the concessions, conditions and protections negotiated by the county."

County officials have said varied provisions in the resolutions they signed contain guidelines governing O'Leary's data center plans.

The Stratos Project Area, as it's known, calls for gradual development in the coming years of a data center complex to bolster the U.S. military's access to artificial intelligence and cloud computing capabilities. Critics worry that the water it would need would deplete inflows to the Great Salt Lake, among other things.

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