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Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful didn’t expect this level of resistance when he pitched his $100 billion AI data center to rural Utah. But hundreds showed up to protest the project’s approval, saying it’s not so wonderful.
Kevin O’Leary’s “Stratos Project” received unanimous approval from Box Elder County commissioners on Monday despite fierce opposition. The plan calls for a 9-gigawatt AI data center and natural gas plant on a 40,000-acre campus in northwest Utah — a facility that would consume more than double the energy the entire state uses in a year.
O’Leary says the project will create 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions. He argues that increasing America’s computing capacity is crucial for national security. “We can’t let the Chinese beat us,” he told CNN.
But residents worry the facility’s water usage could further drain the already shrinking Great Salt Lake, creating toxic dust that harms surrounding communities. A group of Box Elder voters applied this week to add a referendum to the November ballot to overturn the approval. The application would need more than 5,000 signatures.
“Let’s do an environmental impact study and let’s publish it transparently,” said Caroline Gleich, an environmental advocate and Park City resident. “Let’s give the community some time to review them and give experts some time to review them.”