Story perspectives

Utah Lawsuit Challenges Stratos Data Center; O'Leary Cuts Size

6/8/2026

Center

Kevin O’Leary Cuts

New lawsuit claims Military Installation Development Authority, an unelected body, gave Stratos Project data center powers in Box Elder County.
Kevin O’Leary agreed to cut the 40,000-acre Stratos Project data center by 75% after Senate President J. Stuart Adams’ demand.
Alliance for Better Utah and five county residents filed lawsuit in Utah’s 3rd District Court.
Governor Spencer Cox signed an executive order to prioritize consumer and environmental safeguards for project.

Right

Adams Pushes Conservation

President J. Stuart Adams urged Utah AI data center to use water-saving methods and divert water to Great Salt Lake.
Kevin O'Leary announced a 75% reduction of the Utah AI data center footprint and will file a proposal by Friday.
State officials said the project will undergo full permitting and environmental review.
Utah has invested over $1 billion in water conservation while committees review large-scale project impacts.

Blindspot

Center coverage emphasized the lawsuit alleging that the Military Installation Development Authority is an unconstitutional, unelected body granting the Stratos Project sweeping powers, a detail absent from Right coverage.
Center coverage also noted Governor Spencer Cox’s executive order prioritizing consumer and environmental safeguards, which Right coverage did not mention.

History

Historical Context

The 1972 Clean Water Act authorized the EPA and the NPDES permit system to curb industrial discharges, yet today more than half of U.S. rivers still fail water-quality standards. Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority now seeks broad authority for the Stratos Project AI data center, prompting Governor Spencer Cox to invoke the Act to protect the Great Salt Lake.

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Kevin O’Leary Cuts

New lawsuit claims Military Installation Development Authority, an unelected body, gave Stratos Project data center powers in Box Elder County.
Kevin O’Leary agreed to cut the 40,000-acre Stratos Project data center by 75% after Senate President J. Stuart Adams’ demand.
Alliance for Better Utah and five county residents filed lawsuit in Utah’s 3rd District Court.
Governor Spencer Cox signed an executive order to prioritize consumer and environmental safeguards for project.

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