Billionaire Kevin O’Leary Faces Revolt Over Utah Data Center
Public opposition is intensifying in Utah’s Box Elder County over Kevin O’Leary’s proposed $100 billion AI data center project, despite the “Shark Tank” investor arguing the facility is essential for the U.S. to compete with China.
Following county approval of the project, residents launched the Box Elder Accountability Referendum (BEAR) in an effort to stop it. The campaign is led by locals including Brenna Williams, who previously fought a similar data center proposal in Millard County. “It needed to be done. There needed to be a fight here,” Williams told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Organizers initially believed the project could not be challenged at the county level, but later learned a referendum was possible. County officials now have 20 days to review the application. If approved, supporters must collect 5,422 signatures across four participation areas to place the issue on the ballot.
Box Elder County officials say the project could still proceed even if the referendum passes, though negotiated county protections and concessions could be lost. Residents argue the approval process moved too quickly and lacked public input. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, only two percent of public comments supported the project.
Environmental concerns are a major source of opposition. Utah State University physics professor Robert Davies warned the data center could generate the “equivalent of about 23 atom bombs worth of energy” daily, potentially increasing local temperatures and worsening drought-related water issues in the region.
Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has called for a public water-use plan to ensure the project does not harm the Great Salt Lake.
The controversy reflects a broader national pushback against energy-intensive AI infrastructure projects, with states like Maine and communities in Wisconsin also moving to limit or pause new data center developments.
