All articles tagged with #box elder county
Box Elder County in Utah declared a local state of emergency after a dairy farm tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, triggering quarantine measures that affect about half of the county’s dairy cows and farms and enabling state and federal support to help farmers amid severe milk production losses.
After more than two decades in the Utah Legislature, Senate President J. Stuart Adams conceded the GOP primary to Stephanie Hollist, driven by backlash to his role approving a hyperscale data center in Box Elder County. Hollist led early results at about 43% to Adams’s 35%, with Braden Hess at 22%; Adams acknowledged defeat. Hollist framed the win as a call for change and accountability, while Adams highlighted his record. The race featured AI-generated ads and outsized spending, with Hollist around $181k, Adams about $429k, and Hess under $6k, as outside groups attacked Adams over the data center issues affecting power and water use.
Utah businessman Kevin O'Leary agrees to cut the Box Elder County data center footprint from about 40,000 acres to roughly 20,000, removing two parcels and leaving about 10,000 acres developable while preserving substantial open space; Utah Senate President Stuart Adams welcomed the changes and pressed for water-conservation technology and a memorandum of understanding to protect the Great Salt Lake. Opponents, including BEAR, remain skeptical and have filed suit as the project advances with O'Leary Digital and the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA).
Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield ruled that two land-use resolutions approving a hyperscale data center are administrative actions, not new laws, and therefore not legally referable to voters. BEAR says it will appeal to state courts, while opponents push for local input amid ongoing debate over the project backed by Kevin O’Leary.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said his remarks criticizing the Box Elder County data-center plan were not up to his standards and vowed to do better. He defended a measured approach while stressing oversight on energy use, water impact on the Great Salt Lake, and air permits, noting early-phase electricity use around 1.5 gigawatts (with higher figures cited previously) and that the developer plans renewables alongside natural gas. The Box Elder County Commission backed an agreement with MIDA to move the project forward amid protests, and Cox urged civility and a focus on shared humanity as officials review environmental safeguards.
Box Elder County voters filed a land-use referendum to potentially overturn the county commission’s unanimous decision to include private land in a Military Installation Development Authority hyperscale data center project. The legality is being reviewed by the county attorney; if permitted, the referendum would require signatures from about 16% of active registered voters (roughly 5,422) across the county to appear on the ballot.
Box Elder County Commission weighs approving a large hyperscale data center and energy project led by O’Leary Digital, with public comment barred at the meeting while two forthcoming town halls are planned. Backed by MIDA, the project promises 2,000 high‑paying jobs and self‑sufficient power with water treatment for the Great Salt Lake, funded by significant tax incentives—including a reduced 0.5% energy-use tax and rebates that divert much revenue to the developer—for land spanning about 40,000 acres plus UTTR land. Critics question environmental and community impacts, while supporters tout economic benefits.
Authorities in Box Elder County, Utah, believe they have found the remains of Dylan Rounds, a young man who went missing nearly two years ago. The 19-year-old was last seen in Montello, Nevada, and his skeletal remains were discovered in a remote area near his home in Lucin, Utah. James A. Brenner has been charged with murdering Rounds, and investigators found evidence linking him to the crime, including DNA and a time-lapse video showing him cleaning a gun with blood stains. The sheriff's office expressed condolences to Rounds' family and gratitude to everyone involved in the investigation and search efforts.