\n<\/p>\n
Shark Tank\u2019s Mr. Wonderful didn\u2019t expect this level of resistance when he pitched his $100 billion AI data center to rural Utah. But hundreds showed up to protest the project\u2019s approval, saying it\u2019s not so wonderful.<\/p>\n
Kevin O\u2019Leary\u2019s \u201cStratos Project\u201d received unanimous approval from Box Elder County commissioners on Monday despite fierce opposition. The plan calls for a 9-gigawatt AI data center and natural gas plant on a 40,000-acre campus in northwest Utah \u2014 a facility that would consume more than double the energy the entire state uses in a year.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Leary says the project will create 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions. He argues that increasing America\u2019s computing capacity is crucial for national security. \u201cWe can\u2019t let the Chinese beat us,\u201d he told CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n But residents worry the facility\u2019s water usage could further drain the already shrinking Great Salt Lake, creating toxic dust that harms surrounding communities. A group of Box Elder voters applied this week to add a referendum to the November ballot to overturn the approval. The application would need more than 5,000 signatures.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s do an environmental impact study and let\u2019s publish it transparently,\u201d said Caroline Gleich, an environmental advocate and Park City resident. \u201cLet\u2019s give the community some time to review them and give experts some time to review them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Shark Tank\u2019s Mr. Wonderful didn\u2019t expect this level of resistance when he pitched his $100 billion AI data center to rural Utah. But hundreds showed up to protest the project\u2019s approval, saying it\u2019s not so wonderful.<\/p>\n Kevin O\u2019Leary\u2019s \u201cStratos Project\u201d received unanimous approval from Box Elder County commissioners on Monday despite fierce opposition. The plan calls for a 9-gigawatt AI data center and natural gas plant on a 40,000-acre campus in northwest Utah \u2014 a facility that would consume more than double the energy the entire state uses in a year.<\/p>\n O\u2019Leary says the project will create 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions. He argues that increasing America\u2019s computing capacity is crucial for national security. \u201cWe can\u2019t let the Chinese beat us,\u201d he told CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n But residents worry the facility\u2019s water usage could further drain the already shrinking Great Salt Lake, creating toxic dust that harms surrounding communities. A group of Box Elder voters applied this week to add a referendum to the November ballot to overturn the approval. The application would need more than 5,000 signatures.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s do an environmental impact study and let\u2019s publish it transparently,\u201d said Caroline Gleich, an environmental advocate and Park City resident. \u201cLet\u2019s give the community some time to review them and give experts some time to review them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n