Overview
- Kevin O’Leary defended state tax incentives for his Utah data center during a Wednesday interview with Tucker Carlson, who questioned why taxpayers should help fund a private project serving wealthy tech firms.
- The plan envisions a 40,000-acre campus in western Box Elder County that developers say could reach 9 gigawatts of power use, with unanimous approvals already granted by the Military Installation Development Authority and county commissioners.
- The incentive package includes 100% personal property tax rebates on the data center, an 0.927% real property tax rate with most revenue returned to developers, and a cut to the energy-use tax from 6% to 0.5%.
- Opposition has widened across the political spectrum as local residents, Utah Democrats, and Carlson raise concerns over costs and accountability, while O’Leary has accused some critics of being foreign operatives and alleged bused-in protesters without evidence.
- A citizen-led referendum filing to overturn the May 4 county vote is under review by the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office, which could trigger a 45-day drive for 5,422 signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
- Critics warn the project’s large water demand and on-site natural-gas power could worsen drought and air pollution, while O’Leary argues it will bring construction and permanent jobs and says the buildout is vital to compete with China in AI.