This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The proposed Facebook deal should be withdrawn.
Data servers bring in few jobs relative to the at least $239 million ($185 million from West Jordan and $54 million from the state) being paid, with the only hypothetical upside of additional thirsty servers from other out-of-state companies that'll want the same ridiculous treatment. Not to mention that we shouldn't expect Facebook to move high-paying programming jobs to the Salt Lake Valley because, thanks to the internet, they can control the servers from Silicon Valley. Facebook wants Utah to pay for and build the enormous, energy-sucking (54,000 homes' worth), costly, thirsty servers with virtually no benefit to Utahns.
While Facebook's servers might've helped other small rural towns, West Jordan and the Salt Lake Valley are hardly small and rural, so the addition of 70 jobs won't have the same impact. If what West Valley City Manager Wayne Pyle says is true, that "Facebook will bring some real cachet to the state," then how come you've never heard of Prineville or Forest City before? There are many better ways to spend those millions of dollars and gallons to help Utahns and Utah businesses, not multi-billion dollar tech companies.
Elliot Nielson
Salt Lake City