Box Elder commissioners impose moratorium that will not impact controversial Stratos Project
Box Elder County commissioners unanimously enacted a six-month moratorium on data centers and data center power plants, but the decision will not impact the proposed Stratos Project in Hansel Valley due to its location within a Military Installation Development Authority governed area. Residents expressed strong opposition over environmental and health concerns, and two lawsuits have been filed against county and state officials regarding the project and land-use authority transfer.
The Box Elder County Commission unanimously voted on June 10 to impose a six-month moratorium on data centers and data center power plants. County Attorney Stephen R. Hadfield clarified that this decision is not retroactive and will not affect the proposed Stratos Project in the remote Hansel Valley.
Box Elder officials further explained that Ordinance 654, which established the moratorium, only applies to areas where the county retains land-use authority. The Stratos Project is located within an area governed by Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), meaning the moratorium does not impact its development or future land use decisions within the MIDA project area.
Despite the moratorium, the commission meeting was met with a standing-room-only crowd of residents expressing continued disapproval of the Stratos Project. Concerns were raised about the project’s rumored water usage, environmental impact, and potential health issues from low-frequency radio signals and noise, echoing findings from a study of Virginia’s "Data Center Alley." Resident Scott Brady read a prepared statement and physician Cheryl Compton offered testimony on health concerns.
This public outcry follows a May vote by the Box Elder County commissioners to transfer land-use authority in Hansel Valley to MIDA for 50 years. The ad hoc Box Elder Accountability Referendum (B.E.A.R.) is spearheading resistance, having filed two lawsuits. One lawsuit, filed June 3 in Utah’s First District Court, seeks to overturn the county’s denial of applications to place the data center project on the November ballot. Another lawsuit, filed in Third District Court by the Alliance for a Better Utah on behalf of B.E.A.R. members, alleges that officials violated constitutional rights by approving the Stratos Project Area Plan while denying residents an opportunity to vote. Polling by Stewardship Utah indicates significant local opposition and disapproval of the commissioners’ actions, which could impact the reelection campaigns of Commissioners Lee Perry and Boyd Bingham.