The Salt Lake TribuneHundreds of poster-packing and slogan-chanting opponents of building a data center campus in rural Box Elder County flocked to the Utah Capitol on Saturday to protest against the massive project.
An alliance of more than a dozen environmental and grassroots groups — from Salt Lake Indivisible and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment to Sierra Club Utah and the Center for Biological Diversity — helped organize the rally.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) People gather to voice opposition to a proposed data center campus in Box Elder County during a protest at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, speaks at a protest Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Utah Capitol against a proposed Box Elder County data center campus.
It marked the second demonstration in less than two weeks at the Capitol against the Stratos project, backed by celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary.
Utahns of all stripes — including scientists, environmentalists, policymakers and a number of politicians — have raised alarms about the proposal and its impact on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and water supplies near the Great Salt Lake.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Franque Bains, the director for the Sierra Club's Utah chapter, speaks at a protest Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Utah Capitol against a proposed Box Elder County data center campus.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Protesters gather Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Utah Capitol to voice opposition to a proposed data center campus in Box Elder County.
Correction • May 24, 1 p.m.: A photo caption has been updated to correctly identify House Minority Leader Angela Romero speaking at the protest.
