Visiting EPA administrator throws support behind Great Salt Lake
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited the Great Salt Lake, expressing support for conservation efforts, while hundreds protested the proposed Stratos Project data center nearby. This massive data center in Box Elder County faces significant scrutiny over its potential environmental impacts on air quality, carbon emissions, and water usage, with state regulators confirming they do not regulate carbon. The EPA has deferred to state and local authorities for permitting processes, despite recent federal actions to streamline data center construction.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin toured Farmington Bay of the Great Salt Lake, reaffirming federal support for efforts to save the ailing lake. His visit coincided with President Donald Trump's proposed $1 billion federal budget allotment to aid Utah's conservation efforts. Zeldin highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach involving local, regional, state, and federal entities to address the lake's environmental challenges.
Simultaneously, hundreds of Utahns gathered at the State Capitol to protest the proposed Stratos Project, a 40,000-acre hyperscale data center development slated for the north shores of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County. Backed by investor Kevin O'Leary, the project has drawn widespread concern due to its enormous energy demands, projected to be twice the state's annual consumption, and its potential to increase Utah's carbon emissions by over 50%. When questioned about the data center, Administrator Zeldin emphasized the EPA's role is guidance, deferring permitting authority to state regulators, particularly regarding air quality.
Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality, confirmed that while the division reviews air quality permits and ensures compliance with the Clean Air Act, carbon dioxide emissions are not regulated in Utah and will not factor into the permitting decision for the Stratos Data Center. Tim Davis, commissioner of Utah DEQ, noted that no air quality permit application has been received yet but promised public comment opportunities once reviews begin. Joel Ferry, executive director of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources, addressed water concerns, stating the project would not take more water than historically used on the ranch site and must not detrimentally impact downstream users or the Great Salt Lake.