The Box Elder County Commission in Utah approved the Kevin O'Leary-backed Project Stratos data center despite vocal public opposition and rising national trends of local resistance to infrastructure development.

Key Points

• The Box Elder County Commission voted to approve Project Stratos, a data center facility designed to provide services for the United States military.
• Public attendees at the Tremonton, Utah meeting protested the decision, chanting and shouting at commissioners during the proceedings.
• A Heatmap News analysis reports that 20 proposed data center projects were canceled in early 2026 due to local opposition, doubling the previous quarterly record.
• The American Edge Project estimates that 2,788 data centers are currently in the development pipeline, representing a potential 67 percent increase in national capacity.
• Commissioner Tyler Vincent defended the approval by citing the importance of property rights for landowners.

Why it Matters

The increasing frequency of data center cancellations highlights a growing tension between rapid infrastructure expansion and local "not in my backyard" sentiment. This trend could complicate the development of essential digital infrastructure as the demand for data services continues to rise nationwide.