Box Elder data center organizers withdraw water rights application, nulling protest letters

Bar H Ranch, the developer behind a controversial data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, has withdrawn its water rights application for the facility, citing the county commissioners' recent decision to allow the project to proceed. The withdrawal, communicated to the Utah Division of Water Rights by Bar H consultant Logan Riley, was made with the intention to resubmit the application later with additional supporting information. This move effectively nullifies over 3,800 formal protest letters that had been filed against the original application, each costing opponents $15. Environmental organizations, including Grow the Flow, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sierra Club in Utah, strongly criticized the withdrawal, calling it a breach of trust and a tactic to sidestep public input. Ben Abbott, ecologist and executive director of Grow the Flow, expressed concern that this large-scale project shows little regard for the local community. Rob Dubuc, general counsel for Friends of Great Salt Lake, acknowledged the strategy to invalidate protests but believes public attention and opposition will persist, encouraging residents to protest again once a new application is filed.