Insane Stratos Data Center Approval Threatens Great Salt Lake Basin

Project is expected to double Utah’s power demand, guzzle scarce water resources.

Salt Lake City — Box Elder County Commissioners voted on Monday to approve the Stratos Data Center, a massive project set to become one of the largest in the country. The facility will be built in the Great Salt Lake basin, threatening a critical migratory bird habitat and an ecosystem that is already under significant strain. The facility is projected to increase Utah’s carbon emissions by 50%.

The project is expected to reach 9 gigawatts of power, consuming more than twice the electricity of the entire state of Utah, and requiring a significant amount of already limited water resources.

Developers, including Kevin O’Leary of SharkTank fame, West GenCo, and Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), fast-tracked the project without adequate environmental review. While they claim to have modeled air-quality impacts and proposed “net zero water” technologies, they have not released data or analysis to substantiate these claims.

Despite unanswered questions about its projected water use, the facility filed a water rights change application to re-direct an existing agricultural water right for industrial use, and in response, 3,700 community members filed protests asking the Utah Division of Water Rights to reject the project’s application.

“The Commission’s decision unfortunately reflects a pattern that prioritizes polluters and profits over people,” said Sierra Club Utah Chapter Director Franque Bains. “At a time when the Great Salt Lake is already in crisis, approving a project that will consume water and energy at this scale is irresponsible and dangerous. Utahns want to see the Great Salt Lake restored, not stripped.”

“Box Elder Residents are being forced to accept a project that does little to benefit our community and more to line the pockets of billionaires,” said Tonya Neilson, Box Elder resident and Sierra Club Executive Committee member and treasurer. “Our elected officials chose to side with developers over the people they represent, disregarding community input. While project backers reap the benefits, we’ll shoulder the impacts — Higher bills, worse air quality, and even scarcer water.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.