Overview
- The project advanced on May 4 when Box Elder County approved two resolutions, and referendum applications now await a 20-day legal review before a 45-day signature drive of 5,422 names per measure can start.
- A Utah State physicist calculates the campus would dump about 16 gigawatts of waste heat into Hansel Valley and could raise local temperatures by up to 5°F by day and 28°F at night.
- O’Leary’s CEO told Business Insider the construction jobs forecast is now about 4,000 over 10 to 15 years, far below the 10,000 the investor has touted, with permanent roles likely far fewer.
- O’Leary alleged two Utah opposition groups get Chinese funding, the groups denied it, and organizers plan a Thursday rally at the state Capitol as petitions and water-rights protests grow.
- Regulators must still rule on air-quality, water, and environmental permits, and county officials say even a successful referendum would void their consent but might not stop the project.