Although reports indicate – and Adams said that was the case in Utah – that there are genuine concerns in communities about an increase in protests, not everyone agrees that the huge community response in the US is rational or proportionate.
On Bluesky, Will Stancil, an attorney, activist, and housing policy researcher, commented on Heatmap’s survey, suggesting that it seemed unusual for public opinion to change so rapidly without “some major data center disaster.” In his thread, Stancil promoted a reply suggesting that data center opposition “influences algos”, raising a theory that social media is possibly driving anti-data center sentiment.
And while O’Leary blamed himself and Adams for making “mistakes” in Utah, he also claimed that the opposition he faced in the state was due to foreign interference, NBC News reported. They accused China of allegedly funding the Alliance for a Better Utah to run a smear campaign to sabotage their project, a claim the nonprofit has denied.
“All of these people have a right to information,” O’Leary said. “Why are they getting it from a false initiative? Who is spending all this money to put out all these lies and just plain misinformation and lies and incite these people?”
In a statement, Elizabeth Hutchings, communications manager for the Alliance for a Better Utah, mocked Montreal-born O’Leary, defended the group’s 15-year history and said, “The only foreign interest in this data center is Kevin from Canada.”
Hutchings said, “It is an insult to Utahns across the state to suggest that any opposition or opposition to this data center is the work of a foreign government.” “We are proud to live in a state where there are people who care deeply about transparency, their community and the future of their children. It’s not strange to us that Utahns want to be heard in the decisions that will impact their lives for decades to come.”
Hutchings agreed with Williams that “issues with the project remain highly unpopular and problematic in Box Elder County.”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with bullies like Kevin who are trying to silence us,” Hutchings said. “No amount of publicity and dramatic attention will stop us from talking about the real issue: the lack of transparency in our government.”
<a href