This morning I drove down Wasatch Boulevard and looked across the valley. There was a thick haze obscuring the Oquirrh Mountains. The airport, Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island were all blurred by the same haze. Unfortunately this has become the norm. Ask residents of Davis, Cache, Salt Lake, Utah or Box Elder counties to look across their respective valleys and on most days they will share the same experience.
Utah ranks 48th out of 50 states for air quality. The health consequences are severe and well documented — the Utah Legislature itself published a report titled “Utah’s Public Health Crisis” cataloging the health impacts Utahns face from poor air quality. Utah Foundation research estimates air pollution causes between 2,500 and 8,000 premature deaths in Utah annually.
This is why the Stratos Project, the proposed hyperscale data center in Box Elder County, is so troubling. The Stratos Project will consume more than twice the power currently used by the entire state. The developers plan to power it entirely by natural gas generators, which will produce significant emissions. Scientists from the University of Utah and Utah State University warn those emissions will be blown directly into Utah valleys already struggling with the worst air in America.
Utahns did not invite this. No law requires it and we are not obligated to host the project in Utah. A select group of Utah politicians chose this — without a single independent environmental study or any meaningful public input. Our children and grandchildren will breathe the consequences.
Adam Thorpe,
Sandy