Executive Director of Grow The Flow speaks about data center public forum
A public forum was held in Box Elder County, Utah, to address local concerns about the proposed Stratos data center project. Residents and environmental groups like Grow the Flow raised questions regarding the project's massive electricity and water demands, particularly given Utah's ongoing drought and declining Great Salt Lake. The forum followed the Box Elder County Commissioners' contentious approval of the project, with organizers emphasizing the need for public input and potential local control through a referendum.
A public forum was recently held at the Box Elder County Fairgrounds in Tremonton, Utah, drawing residents and interest groups concerned about the proposed Stratos data center project. The event, organized by groups including Grow the Flow, aimed to provide information and answer questions about the potential impacts of what is described as potentially the largest data center in the world. This meeting took place 22 days after the Box Elder County commissioners unanimously approved a proposal from the Utah Inland Port Authority (MIDA) to proceed with the project, a decision that has been met with significant public interest and local opposition.
Deidre Henderson, Executive Director of Grow the Flow, highlighted the primary concerns during the forum: the project's unprecedented scale and its potential demands on electricity and water resources. She noted that the facility could require as much power as two entire states of Utah and raised doubts about the developer's claims regarding water consumption, citing a national trend of data centers underestimating their water usage by factors of two to 20. Given Utah's record low snowpack and the continuing decline of the Great Salt Lake, organizers stressed the need for careful consideration to avoid putting additional strain on the region's water supply.
The forum served as an educational opportunity, providing a platform for public questions and comments, which organizers stated had been lacking in the project's initial rollout. Henderson emphasized the importance of community discussion in a time of low trust, hoping the data center issue could unify Utahns, including farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, and business people. She also mentioned that the situation is evolving rapidly, with Box Elder County attorneys soon to decide whether to allow a referendum to move forward, which would give local residents the opportunity to vote on the project. This push for local control comes amidst a broader trend of large data centers being developed in rural areas, often due to perceived lower opposition.