- Community leaders discussed the Stratos Data Center's impact in Box Elder County.
- Panelists raised concerns about water use, emissions and environmental effects on wildlife.
- Efforts for a citizen referendum and water rights protest are underway by locals.
SALT LAKE CITY — Community leaders held a panel Wednesday night to discuss what they know so far about the Stratos Data Center approved for Box Elder County.
An environmental lawyer, an ecologist and a director for Utah Clean Energy presented what they know from their respective fields as panelists at the Salt Lake City Public Library.
One woman on the panel spoke from the heart about her hometown. Brenna Williams, along with her neighbors, traveled from Box Elder County to share what they're doing to oppose the approved data center.
"I'm afraid we're going to lose it," Williams said as she talked about the bird migration in Box Elder County. "It's going to affect our birds, our bees, our cows and wildlife."
For Williams and others, opposing the data center is about more than water rights and energy resources. Most panelists discussed considerations for water use, energy, pollution and other environmental factors.
Josh Craft, director of Utah Clean Energy, admitted it's been hard to determine how much impact the data center could have on the environment due to limited information.
"It's pretty hard to put this into context," Craft told the audience. "Our initial analysis is that they would emit 12,000 tons of emissions per year. This would double the state's CO2 emissions."
Brig Daniels, an environmental lawyer and professor of law at the University of Utah, believes the community can still push back, though the data center was approved.
"If you really want to make a difference … keep talking," Daniels said. "If we can get a referendum … that is the most powerful tool in the toolbox."
Rhonda Anderson Lauritzen teamed up with Williams to create a citizen referendum and water rights protest.
Lauritzen's water rights border the Great Salt Lake and property for the data center. Her family has been there since the '60s, and she said they've watched the lake shrink.
"We haven't been able to access the water for 10 years," Lauritzen said. "I don't know where they think they're going to get the water from because there is no water out there."
Even if the data center wanted to use water from the aquifers, Lauritzen said they are empty.
Like others, Lauritzen didn't learn about the data center until after the first meeting for public comment. When the next meeting was announced, Lauritzen said she couldn't believe the conversation was happening about a place her family has loved.
"I was home on the couch crying," Lauritzen said. "I was devastated."
Ben Abbott, the executive director for Grow the Flow, has also watched the Great Salt Lake continue to shrink. Abbott has been working to reduce irrigation water use by farmers to help the lake fill up again.
"We need to decrease our water use by 40% in order to achieve our goal of restoring the Great Salt Lake, and so every new chunk of water we use makes that more difficult," Abbott said.
Abbott said more than half of the Great Salt Lake has shrunk, even before data centers even entered the picture.
"We have a hard limit on what resources are available, and because of large-scale environmental change, that's a shift in baseline," Abbott said.
There is a sustainable way to have a data center and maintain healthy water use, something Abbott said Utah is already doing in multiple locations.
"If we want to make sure this is successful and enhances our cybersecurity, we need to have clarity on the front end," he said.
The overall consensus from each of the panelists was the sentiment that until there is more information, both plans and potential impacts for the project are estimated.
