Pres. Adams calls for 75% reduction in proposed data center project area

Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams has issued a demand for a 75% reduction in the proposed O’Leary Digital data center project’s area, shrinking it from 40,000 acres to approximately 10,000 acres. This call follows public feedback and a review of the project, with President Adams sending a direct letter to Kevin O’Leary outlining the required changes before the development can move forward.

In addition to the significant reduction in footprint, President Adams is stipulating several environmental and transparency conditions. He mandates that any excess water used by the project be treated and dedicated to the Great Salt Lake, even though the current water in the project area does not naturally flow to the lake. Further demands include greater transparency, stronger conservation commitments, and enhanced protections for Utah's natural resources throughout the project's review process.

President Adams emphasized Utah’s commitment to balancing economic opportunity with environmental protection, noting previous legislative efforts to increase oversight of large-scale developments, such as requiring developers to cover energy infrastructure costs and investing over $1 billion in water conservation. Multiple legislative interim committees, including those focusing on natural resources, economic development, and public utilities, are actively examining the broad impacts of large-scale developments on the state’s water, energy, land use, and environment to identify further protective measures.