Utah data center: County commissioners walk out of meeting with angry crowd

After delaying a week and moving to a larger venue to accommodate a bigger crowd, the Box Elder County Commission is set to decide the fate of a sprawling “hyperscale” data center in Utah. Commissioners will weigh whether a data center and energy campus backed by the Military Installation Development Authority and celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary can move forward. The project, dubbed Stratos by MIDA, would occupy some 40,000 acres centered in Hansel Valley near the north end of the Great Salt Lake. Adam Long of the Smith Hartvigsen law firm, who has been assisting the county in reviewing the proposal, said that MIDA has promised a significant amount of tax revenue, prompting a crowd member to shout, “people over profits.” Long explained that additional language had been included in the agreement to guarantee a minimum level of revenue, even if future legislation or tax policies change after the deal is approved. He noted that negotiations have been ongoing for roughly the past week and a half. As he spoke, the crowd grew louder, eventually breaking into a unified chant of “people over profits” that echoed throughout the room. After, commissioners left and went into a back room saying the rest of the meeting will be on Zoom. “Shame!” the crowd chanted in unison after the commissioners left. Video: Trevor Christesen The Salt Lake Tribune