In February, I encouraged Utahns to pray for new leadership rather than more rain. This call seems more relevant than ever.
I believe in the power of prayer, and after my last letter was published, several people in my faith community asked me whether I actually meant that we should not pray for rain.
My letter focused on systemic water conservation and policy reform rather than repeatedly asking residents to pray for precipitation as a long-term ecological strategy. Given the circumstances surrounding the development of the massive “Stratos project” — an AI cloud-computing data center campus paired with on-site power generation facilities — my letter seems more relevant than ever before.
The sheer scale of the project — 40,000 acres of land and a planned capacity of 9 gigawatts of power — has perplexed Utahns, who now bear the burden of praying for daily miracles. Does anyone really believe Kevin O’Leary’s claim that the project will not disturb the Great Salt Lake’s water supply?
Judging by the droves of protesters attending City Council meetings and petitioning the state, people are not buying it.
Large AI and cloud data centers require substantial amounts of water to cool servers — up to millions of gallons per day. Utahns may feel as though they are being asked to pray this lovely Deseret into a Puʻu Kukui, the western part of Maui famous for being among the wettest places in the United States.
I mean, if God is willing, I would be open to petitioning Him to turn Utah into a tropical paradise in exchange for a data center. It has kind of happened before, considering northern Utah once sat beneath roughly 1,150 feet of water in prehistoric Lake Bonneville before it dried up around 14,000 years ago.
I can imagine God as a waiter at a restaurant taking Cox’s order: unlimited water for alfalfa without fixing irrigation systems, green golf courses, Lake Powell recreation, green grass on every plot, and one of the largest data centers in the world. I imagine God wearing a black shirt, holding a notepad, and rolling His eyes.
An old adage says, “God helps those who help themselves.” God forbid we need the help, but not in the way Cox envisions.
Brian D. King, Provo