Proposed 40,000-Acre Stratos Data Center In Box Elder County Faces EPA Regulatory Deferral

A proposed massive data center project on 40,000 acres in western Box Elder County, Utah, is facing significant community pushback, with residents recently filing paperwork to launch a referendum against the development. The phased project, backed by Kevin O'Leary, is designed to consume 9 gigawatts of power upon full build-out—a capacity exceeding the state's current peak energy demand. Despite receiving approval from the Box Elder County Commission and the Military Installation Development Authority, local critics are citing concerns over water consumption, natural gas power generation, and environmental impacts in a region already grappling with drought and air quality issues. Organizers now have 45 days to secure 5,422 signatures to force a public vote on the project.

This dispute occurs amid a wider national trend of increasing public and legislative resistance to data center development. According to the U.S. Data Center Moratorium Tracker, 69 jurisdictions currently have active moratoriums, and 78 government entities have attempted to restrict or ban such facilities over the past year. Driven by AI and cloud computing demands, the industry is seeing rapid growth, with the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reporting that 17 data center projects were canceled and 18 delayed due to community opposition between 2023 and 2025. While federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to pause construction, most policy battles remain at the state and local levels.