Overview
- On May 29, Governor Spencer Cox signed an executive order that directs five Utah divisions to approve discrete technical permits before Phase 1 of the proposed 40,000-acre Box Elder data‑center campus can begin construction.
- The Division of Air Quality must assess projected pollutant emissions from the project and can require specific emission controls to protect local air quality.
- The Division of Drinking Water will review proposed drinking water systems and must ensure those systems are physically separate from water used for cooling, fire protection, or power generation.
- The Division of Water Quality will require permits for any surface or groundwater discharges to state waters, including the Great Salt Lake, and the Division of Water Rights will evaluate whether enough water is available for the development.
- The locally approved project remains highly contested after large local protests and thousands of water‑rights filings, and the state reviews, potential water hearings and a citizen referendum will determine whether and how the development moves forward while raising broader questions about siting large, water‑intensive AI facilities in the arid West.