Commission delays consent on MIDA 'Stratus' data‑center project after hour‑long briefing and public comment

Paul Morris, executive director and general counsel of the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), told the Box Elder County Commission that a proposed Stratus hyperscale data‑center project would be low‑impact per acre, would use on‑site power generated from the Ruby pipeline and would rely on circulated (reused) brine water for cooling rather than the evaporative systems used by older data centers. "We have the consent of all of the landowners," Morris said during the presentation, adding the proposed project area covers roughly 40,000 acres across Locomotive Valley, Hansel Valley and adjacent properties.

Morris said the first phase (about 3 gigawatts of power) would produce a minimum of $30,000,000 annually to the county general fund and that the project could deliver $108,000,000 annually at full build‑out. He described a proposed three‑year upfront contribution of $16,200,000 (paid in three roughly equal installments of $5,200,000 when building permits are issued) to help prime infrastructure needs while tax increment begins to flow. "It will have several thousand construction jobs and, once those go away, about 2,000 permanent jobs that are high paying jobs," he said.

Col. Andrew Owens of the Utah National Guard, who identified himself as the director of the joint staff and the incoming assistant adjutant general for the Army, framed the project's national‑security case: "Projects like this matter… investments that strengthen energy resilience and support critical systems help to ensure we're prepared for the challenges ahead," he said.

Commissioners said they valued the briefing but were not ready to give formal consent. The commission voted to table the interlocal agreement and related consent resolution to allow county attorneys and staff more time to review the draft interlocal and development agreements and to ensure public concerns are considered; a special county‑commission meeting to revisit the issue was announced with at least 24 hours' notice. Simultaneously, the commission passed an amended Resolution 26‑10 expressing the county's intent to engage with MIDA and to continue evaluating potential benefits and impacts.

Public comment during the meeting included a mix of landowner supporters and residents who raised questions about traffic, aquifer connectivity, road safety and transparency. Kent Hyer, a Blue Creek property owner, asked whether brine water reinjection would affect distant aquifers and whether the roads could safely carry the additional commute traffic; Hyer said he was unsure how far the aquifer reaches and sought clearer technical answers. Other commenters urged caution and local protections for agriculture, while several landowners who said they had signed consent forms voiced support.

The commission did not adopt the interlocal agreement or give final consent. County staff were directed to work with attorneys, clarify financial timelines and mitigation commitments, and return the agreements for further consideration at a future noticed meeting.