Saturday Night Live takes aim at Kevin O'Leary, Box Elder County data center project
Saturday Night Live parodied investor Kevin O'Leary over his proposed data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, highlighting local opposition and concerns about water use, noise and environmental impacts. The project has been scaled back, but its plans continue to advance amid a federal defamation lawsuit and another legal effort seeking to delay development.
Saturday Night Live featured a parody of Kevin O'Leary during its Weekend Update segment, portraying the investor as dismissive of opposition to the proposed Stratos Area data center project in Box Elder County. Cast member James Austin Johnson, playing O'Leary, mocked concerns about the project's potential noise, water use and effects on local jobs and the environment.
O'Leary Digital and other project developers have reduced the planned footprint from 40,000 acres to 20,000 acres, with development potentially covering about 10,000 acres. They also say the project will use technology designed to limit water consumption and have reduced the initial power-generation plan from as much as 9 gigawatts to 1.5 gigawatts for the first phase. The project remains under development despite opposition and legal challenges, including a defamation suit filed by two Utah organizations and their leaders over statements O'Leary made about opponents' alleged ties to China.