Kevin O'Leary Wants to Build a $100 Billion AI Data Center in Utah. Locals Say It Could Drain the Great Salt Lake.

"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."

"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.""

Box Elder County commissioners unanimously approved Kevin O’Leary’s “Stratos Project,” a plan for a 9-gigawatt AI data center and natural gas plant on a 40,000-acre campus in northwest Utah. The facility is projected to consume more than double the energy used by the entire state in a year. O’Leary said the project would create 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions and argued that expanding U.S. computing capacity is important for national security. Residents protested, citing concerns about water usage that could further shrink the Great Salt Lake and create toxic dust affecting nearby communities. Voters sought a referendum for the November ballot to overturn the approval, requiring more than 5,000 signatures, and urged a transparent environmental impact study with time for community and expert review.

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