Former 'Shark Tank' investor addresses Box Elder County data center claims amidst local opposition

Kevin O'Leary, known from "Shark Tank" and an investor through his venture firm O T Leary Digital, has secured approval for a substantial data center project in a rural section of Box Elder County, Utah. The project, greenlit by Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), has ignited considerable opposition from local residents who deem it "alarming" and "irresponsible." Community members in areas like Syracuse, Logan, and Salt Lake City have voiced frustration over perceived dismissiveness from local leaders during the approval process. A primary concern revolves around the data center's potential environmental footprint. Critics point to the high water consumption typically associated with such facilities, up to 5 million gallons daily. O'Leary, MIDA, and Box Elder County officials maintain the project will not deplete local water resources, agriculture, or the Great Salt Lake, citing a closed-loop cooling system that reuses water and only utilizes existing water rights amounting to 13,000 acre-feet. However, Ben Abbott, executive director of Grow the Flow and a BYU ecology professor, noted a lack of transparency regarding the project's specifics and its actual impact. Further environmental worries were raised by Dr. Rob Davies, a Utah State physics professor, who predicted that the data center's heat generation could create an atmospheric inversion, adversely affecting the valley's ecosystem. While O'Leary asserted that air quality would not be compromised due to state and federal controls, he did not detail specific mitigation measures. Despite public outcry and concerns about the project's scale T initial plans suggest it could span over 40,000 acres, potentially one of the world's largest T O'Leary denied intentions to build such a vast complex immediately, stating a plan for "slow and incremental" development. He also framed the project as a strategic national endeavor, aiming to showcase American technological growth to international rivals like China.