MIDA board member speaks on data center project | Tremonton Leader | hjnews.com
A public forum in Brigham City, Utah, addressed the controversial Stratos Project data center, featuring a MIDA board member and environmental advocates. Discussions centered on MIDA's approval process, transparency, significant environmental concerns like water and energy use, and an ongoing legal challenge to a referendum petition. Residents were encouraged to remain involved in the advocacy efforts.
Residents of Box Elder County, Utah, gathered at a public forum in Brigham City to discuss the contentious Stratos Project data center. The panel included Mark Shepard, a board member for the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) and Clearfield City Mayor, along with environmental advocates Ben Abbott (Executive Director of Grow the Flow, BYU Ecology Professor), Brenna Williams (BEAR cosigner), and Brigham Daniels (Co-Director of the U of U Wallace Stegner Center of Environmental Law).
Abbott raised significant concerns about the project's proposed scale and unproven Allam Cycle technology for power generation, warning of potentially massive water consumption (tens of thousands to over 100,000 acre-feet annually) if alternative methods are used. He also questioned the urgency of data center expansion given efficiency improvements. Williams detailed environmental worries including impacts on the Great Salt Lake, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, heat, groundwater contamination, and infrastructure costs, noting a lack of economic and environmental impact studies.
Shepard defended MIDA's process, explaining its role in economic development and clarifying that MIDA approves project areas and development agreements, but not direct construction. He stated that developers are required to complete extensive environmental studies and meet numerous conditions before building. However, Daniels and Abbott criticized MIDA's "front-loading" of decisions before full analysis and public information, arguing it undermines trust. Transparency and the timing of environmental assessments were central issues.
Daniels discussed ongoing litigation filed by the Box Elder Accountability Referendum (BEAR) challenging Box Elder County's denial of a referendum petition against the project. The outcome of this case will determine whether the county's actions are subject to public referendum. All panelists urged continued public engagement, regardless of their stance on the project, emphasizing that the decision is not yet final.