Cox signs new order for data center development after public outcry

FARMINGTON — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a new executive order guiding the development of data centers in the state.

This comes just weeks after the governor sharply criticized opponents of a proposed data center in Box Elder County, saying the state has an “obligation” to allow it to be built.

“Utahns have raised important questions about the impact large data centers could have on water, air quality, utility rates and quality of life,” Cox said Friday. “Those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. This executive order establishes a higher bar for how these projects are evaluated and ensures that economic strength and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.”

The order requires state agencies to prioritize protecting water resources, including the Great Salt Lake, which has been suffering from low water levels. The governor’s office said the order also directs the state to protect air quality, mitigate the impacts to wildlife, and ensure any data center developments “align with Utah’s long-term interests,” among other things.

Public pushback has erupted ever since reports emerged that celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary was pushing to build the Stratos data center across 40,000 acres of undeveloped land in Box Elder County. The issue has quickly gained national attention.

The governor acknowledged his executive order was issued in response to public pushback, and he thanked Utahns for their feedback while speaking to reporters following a roundtable discussion about the Great Salt Lake in Farmington on Friday.

“Public pressure is important, and if I had had any concerns about water and the Great Salt Lake, I would have opposed it from the very beginning,” Cox said. “But the public has brought up some concerns that some of us didn’t think about that are important, and that matters.”

A changing tone

The governor’s tone has softened considerably since late April, when he asserted during a news conference that there is “a lot of really bad information” about data centers, and that some of those centers need to be built in Utah.

During the same news conference, Cox also pushed back against concerns that the process for approving the data center was rushed.

“I’m so tired of our country taking years to get stuff done. It’s the dumbest thing ever. We think that taking time makes things better or safer. It absolutely does not,” he said.

On Friday at the roundtable discussion, Cox also floated the potential for a special legislative session later this year to pass additional laws around data centers. He suggested that it could happen in September, but further details were unclear.

“As we kind of work through what those options could be, we’ll work with the standing committees to see what other ideas are out there,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of ideas where we can do better and so we want to incorporate that as well.”

Lawmakers have already signaled they might reexamine policy around data centers. A committee voted last week to study the impact of data center development on wildlife and other natural resources.

“Good information drives good decisions,” House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said in a statement, referencing the study approved last week.

He said he looks forward to continuing to work with partners, including state agencies, local leaders and other stakeholders, “to better understand the impacts and opportunities associated with large data center development.”

‘Make the Lake Great Again’

Cox issued his executive order on Friday while hosting a roundtable discussion with stakeholders about efforts to strengthen the health of the Great Salt Lake. President Donald Trump has become a proponent of conservation efforts and has asked Congress for $1 billion to help save the lake.

Leaving the roundtable, Cox said he was “more hopeful and optimistic” about the lake’s future. Cox and others wore dark green caps emblazoned with “Make the Lake Great Again,” reminiscent of the red “Make America Great Again” hats popular with Trump supporters.

A representative of the National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Program participated in the roundtable on Friday, and the conservation group issued a statement in strong support of Trump’s funding request.

“We are grateful for the leadership of Utah’s congressional delegation, Gov. Cox, and other federal and state leaders in recognizing the importance of sustained federal investment as a key step toward addressing the challenges facing Great Salt Lake,” said Marshall Johnson, the group’s chief conservation officer.

Meanwhile, as public interest in the Box Elder County data center continues to grow, the state auditor’s office has released a new website containing publicly available documents about Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, which has been helping shepherd the project along.