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‘Irresponsible’: backlash as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 May 2026
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Why are they building these things in dry hot places, surely the one time real estate cost can’t dwarf all the other issues?
It's located on the Ruby Pipeline which will serve as the primary source of energy in the short term. Additionally, the data center being classified as a national security site, is located near the Utah Test and Training Range.
Longer term the facility is looking at nuclear facilities for power and the possibility for a runway and aviation facilities.
The primary customer of this facility will be the United States military.
That's long-term thinking. I assume it's like a ponzi scheme: everyone who puts money into something like this thinks they'll cash out before the problems occur.
Why do I feel like the ones left holding the bag are going to be the taxpayers/residents somehow?
Because our tax dollars have been bankrolling this whole thing for a while now.
~~E Pluribus Unum~~
Privatize the gains, Socialize the losses.
Nearly 4,000 people have lodged objections to the project being approved, with this pushback leading to contentious public meetings that Lee Perry, the Box Elder county commissioner, said have left him feeling “physically sick” amid alleged death threats and false accusations.
Good
"waaahhh death threats" is the usual retort whenever someone gets deserved criticism. Maybe try not doing things that make your constituents want to kill you?
To be fair, there are a lot of unhinged people who resort to actual death threats for shit that in no way deserves that level of intensity. It's probably one of the big reasons why everyone who's actually smart enough to run a city/state/country is also smart enough not to.
No backlash unless they are dragging the council members out of their homes.
Which honestly needs to happen. Those council members should be fearing for their lives everytime they go outside. But Oleary probably gave them a fat paycheck so they will no longer have to live in the area.
It would be a shame if the builders had to restart their work every day...
Good luck. The data center is classified as a national security site and has the Utah Test and Training Range base nearby.
They're building it with the intention of military security.