BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — If the public is ever given a chance to vote on whether to allow the controversial Stratos Project data center in Box Elder County to proceed, a new poll shows it would likely remain in its planning phase.
The poll conducted by the nonpartisan Stewardship Utah in partnership with the Box Elder Accountability Referendum (BEAR) campaign shows that more than 7 out of 10 voters in Box Elder County oppose the construction of the data center.
According to Stewardship Utah, 71 percent of registered voters in the county opposed the project, while 23 percent offered support. Nearly 75 percent of those who took part in the poll disapproved of how the Box Elder County commissioners handled the project's approval.
FOX 13 News learned that county commissioners had discussed the proposed data center in two meetings before plans were ever made public.
“Box Elder County residents are paying attention, they are deeply concerned about the project, and they believe voters—not county commissioners alone—should have the final say. Their opposition is overwhelming," said Stewardship Utah co-director David Garbett about the poll.
County commissioners had two meetings about Stratos data center before public was told:
The group claims the poll shows 57 percent of voters would be "less likely to support" the commissioners who voted for the data center.
The project was originally intended to sit on 40,000 acres in the Hansel Valley before developers led by reality television star Kevin O'Leary announced last week that the facility's footprint would be cut by more than half after enormous public outcry.
Late last month, Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield denied referendum applications filed by BEAR that would have placed the data center on the ballot. BEAR has since filed an appeal in Utah's First District Court.
"We've known, speaking with our friends and neighbors, that Box Elder County does not support this data center or how it came to be approved," said BEAR cosponsor Brenna Williams. "Utahns are smart. We value clean air quality, treasure scarce water, cherish a pristine lifestyle, and look to our government for transparently good decisions that we are a part of and can support."
