Data Center Forum Draws Concerns from Attendees
A forum at Weber State University in Ogden examined Utah data center development, with speakers emphasizing public transparency and participation in policymaking. Several attendees criticized the event as biased toward data centers and raised concerns about water use, including potential impacts on the Great Salt Lake Basin.
The Weber State Walker Institute and Americans for Prosperity Utah hosted a forum on Utah data center projects at Weber State University in Ogden. Speakers included William Olson, Uriah Kennedy, Ingrid Bettridge, Debbie Dujanovic, Kaile Akina and Tyson Reese, who presented differing views and agreed that public transparency was important.
Members of the Box Elder Accountability Referendum, including Farrah Pliley and Alan Williams, said the panel favored data center development and did not adequately address opposition concerns. Former Ogden City Council member Amy Wick disputed suggestions that anti-data center sentiment was driven by foreign propaganda and said the discussion insufficiently addressed water use and the Great Salt Lake Basin.