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Utah Residents Seek Referendum to Block $100B AI Data Center
Supporters say the 40,000-acre campus will create 2,000 jobs, while critics warn it could strain water supplies and drive emissions higher.
- Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary is pushing back against public opposition to his Stratos data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, which received approval last month.
- Military Installation Development Authority executive director Paul Morris confirmed the site will rely on natural gas, scaling to 9 gigawatts of power compared with Utah's 4 gigawatts of average annual consumption.
- Citing threats to the shrinking Great Salt Lake, protesters gathered with signs reading "People before profits" to express concerns over local resource strain.
- Dismissing opposition as manufactured, Leary claimed most protesters were outsiders and emphasized that "sustainability is at the heart of what we do" through improved technology.
- The conflict illustrates rising friction between AI infrastructure expansion and community resistance, as similar projects in Alberta and Utah face growing scrutiny over environmental impacts.
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Why Utah residents are protesting a massive AI data center project backed by Kevin O’Leary
A group of rural Utah residents wants a chance to vote in November to oppose a massive AI data center development — the latest example of Americans resisting new data center projects over fears they’ll disrupt the environment and their communities.
·Atlanta, United States
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Kevin O'Leary defends his Utah data center project: 'Think about the number of jobs'
Kevin O'Leary's data center campus in northwest Utah is facing resistance from the community where it's being built.Richard Shotwell/Invision/APKevin O'Leary says people have misconceptions about what data centers are.O'Leary is building a data center in Utah despite community resistance.Data center development has become a serious issue for many American communities.Many Americans don't like the AI data centers popping up in their communities, …
·United States
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Total News Sources87
Leaning Left14Leaning Right9Center41Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Center
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
64% Center
L 22%
C 64%
14%
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