Overview
- At a Grow The Flow forum Tuesday in Sunset, Senate President Stuart Adams and challengers Braden Hess and Stephanie Hollist faced questions about the proposed Stratos AI data center in Box Elder County.
- Local organizers have launched a Box Elder County accountability referendum and held repeated town halls to challenge the project over its expected water use and community impacts.
- Adams, who chairs the Military Installation Development Authority, said he pressed developer Kevin O'Leary to scale back the plan and route unused water toward the Great Salt Lake.
- The three candidates offered distinct stances: Hollist called for more public input, Hess said data centers should be treated like other businesses if they do not harm resources, and Adams argued Utah must stay competitive in AI while listening to voters.
- Coverage cites a local poll showing roughly seven in 10 Box Elder County voters oppose the project, and the primary winner next week will shape the political path forward for the proposal and any referendum challenge.