An interview with a Utah county commissioner is drawing attention online after he appeared emotional while defending a vote to let a massive AI data center proposal move forward.
Box Elder County Commissioner Lee Perry spoke to KSL one day after he and two other officials approved two resolutions tied to the controversial Stratos Project Area, a development that would add data centers and power facilities across nearly 40,000 acres of land.
Perry said the decision made him "sick physically for over a week" as he tried to figure out what was best for residents. Perry also said he and the other commissioners had received death threats from angry individuals as backlash grew over the project's possible effects on water supplies, air quality, traffic, housing, and the already stressed Great Salt Lake.
A Box Elder County commissioner is speaking out and crying crocodile tears after people protested in front of his house. He should've thought about this before he betrayed his community & voted to approve the biggest data center in the world. Zero sympathy for corrupt officials. pic.twitter.com/SihRicFgL4
— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) May 6, 2026
Perry mentioned that police officers were stationed outside of his home. He also said the attacks had become deeply personal, including accusations that he and other officials had taken bribes.
Hundreds of individuals protested the data center project, chanting "shame" and "people over profit" at the men.
Video of a meeting shows Perry laughing at one point, leading one user on X to write, "Is it only funny when it's other people and their families affected?" Another comment added: "Maybe you should have listened to the citizens…the hundreds that were there telling you no."
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Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank personality worth $400 million, is backing the project. In a post on X, O'Leary alleged, without evidence, that the bulk of demonstrators came from outside Utah or Box Elder County.
The Salt Lake Tribute also reported that while state officials explicitly noted the project would be fully powered by methane gas, O'Leary claimed it could be powered by wind and solar.
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