O’Leary and Burgum Claim Foreign Influence Behind Data Center Opposition

Kevin O’Leary released a video on Monday claiming that nefarious accounts tied to China were spreading misinformation about his data center project. O’Leary said he had 90 pages of evidence showing millions or hundreds of millions of dollars funneled from entities around the world to fuel misinformation campaigns against his data center.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared on Fox Business on Tuesday and stated that any place trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed propaganda.

O’Leary’s proposed data center project spans 40,000 acres outside Salt Lake City in Box Elder, Utah. The project is called the Stratos Project and is located in Box Elder, a remote area northwest of Salt Lake City. O’Leary told NBC News on Thursday that the Stratos Project would be developed in stages over 10 years.

He stated that only about 9,000 acres of the 40,000-acre plot would be used after 10 years and that the project would bring upwards of 6,000 jobs to the area. S. data-center opposition.

A recent American Energy Institute report stated, “The opposition to US data center construction is not a spontaneous grassroots movement. ” The Wyss Foundation told the Washington Post that the reports linking it to a foreign influence campaign are false and misleading.

Code Pink told the Washington Post that the claims of involvement in a foreign influence campaign against data centers are false and defamatory.

Protests have occurred against O’Leary’s data center plans in Box Elder, Utah. Local opponents have raised concerns about increased water and power costs, devalued real estate, and effects on community health. Data centers are warehouses filled with computer servers, often covering hundreds or thousands of acres.

Approximately 70% of Americans oppose data center developments according to a 2026 Gallup survey. ” The Trump administration claimed anti-data center sentiments across the US are being fueled by a Chinese propaganda campaign.