Group spearheading data center opposition slates celebratory rally in Brigham City on June 13
The Box Elder Accountability Referendum (B.E.A.R.) group is holding a celebratory rally in Brigham City, Utah, after achieving several successes in their opposition to O’Leary Digital's Stratos Project data center. These victories include the withdrawal of groundwater applications, a gubernatorial executive order on data center guidelines, and a call for project reduction. Additionally, B.E.A.R. has filed a legal appeal to place the project on the local ballot.
The Box Elder Accountability Referendum (B.E.A.R.) group will hold a celebratory rally on Saturday, June 13, in Brigham City, Utah, to mark recent successes in their opposition to the proposed multi-billion dollar Stratos Project hyper-scale data center. This project, conceptualized by Canadian developer Kevin O’Leary and intended for a 40,000-acre site in Hansel Valley, northern Box Elder County, has faced significant local pushback.
Since its formation in early May, B.E.A.R. has spearheaded efforts that led to O’Leary Digital withdrawing two groundwater applications for the project following over 1,000 formal complaints to state officials. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has also responded to political pressure by issuing an executive order establishing new guidelines for data center projects across the state.
Furthermore, Senate President Stuart Adams (R-Woods Cross) called for a 75 percent reduction in the proposed data center land area and greater transparency, to which O’Leary reportedly counter-offered a 50 percent reduction. In a recent development on June 3, attorneys representing B.E.A.R. filed an appeal in the First District Court to overturn Box Elder County's denial of their applications to place the controversial data center project on the local November election ballot.