Utah Data Center Opposition Highlighted in Critique of Public Spending
A letter to the editor criticizes Utah politicians for misusing taxpayer funds on projects like a proposed hyperscale data center in Box Elder County. The author highlights a protest against the data center in Salt Lake City as an example of public opposition. The piece urges citizens to consider how public resources are used when voting in upcoming elections.
In a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune, Bethany Baker criticized Utah politicians, including Governor Spencer Cox and the Utah Senate president, for allegedly using taxpayer dollars on "vanity projects" and advancing personal agendas rather than serving the public. Baker cited a proposed hyperscale data center in Box Elder County as a troubling example, noting that a protest against the facility had taken place at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on May 23, 2026.
The author also highlighted the "Stand by Our Land" campaign, led by Gov. Cox and Redge Johnson of the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, which Baker argued uses taxpayer resources to promote a narrative of federal land "management" while pursuing the transfer and potential privatization of millions of acres of public land. Additionally, efforts by the Utah delegation to reduce national monument boundaries and the ensuing litigation were cited as costly examples of taxpayer money misuse. Baker urged readers to pay attention to these issues, especially concerning public lands, ahead of the midterm elections, emphasizing the importance of their vote in influencing how public resources are utilized.