Utah State team launches data center initiative, initial survey shows most oppose them

LOGAN — Amid growing debate about data centers, a team of Utah State University academics has launched an initiative meant to broaden the pool of information germane to the development of such projects in the state.

They've already posted some of the findings from a survey they carried out, which show strong opposition among Utahns to data centers.

"Opposition increases as development becomes more geographically proximate, as strong opposition is substantially higher for development closer to respondents' homes," reads the executive summary of survey findings released thus far. Overall, 75.4% of respondents say they'd oppose or strongly oppose a proposal to build a data center somewhere in the state.

With numerous data centers proposed around Utah, Jessica Schad, a professor in Utah State's School of Social Sciences and the project lead, said the hope is to provide local data as debate about them unfolds. The effort, called Data Center Development in Utah, is an initiative of Utah State's Community and Natural Resources Institute.

Results from the survey, in particular, "will help to reveal what factors shape community concerns in Utah, providing insights for policymakers and practitioners to address these concerns and inform outreach," reads the introduction to the report on the first batch of survey results. "Lessons learned from our project will be useful at the state and community level in Utah and across the West as the region struggles to manage growing water demand, energy use and local impacts of data center expansion."

Going forward, Schad said results from the survey are to be released specific to sentiments in Cache, Box Elder and Millard counties. What's more, the varied professors and experts involved will also be carrying out policy analyses, case studies and more. The initiative is funded with grant money.

"It's really important for us to get our findings out so that they can be useful for decision-makers," Schad said.

The initial survey drew from around 900 Utah residents. While the findings indicated opposition to data centers, particularly the closer they are to respondents' homes, that wasn't the only takeaway.

The findings "indicate that community perspectives on data centers are closely connected to local impacts and project characteristics. Residents place particular importance on water and energy use, opportunities for public participation and the location and scale of development," reads the executive summary on the initial data release.

Here are some of the findings from survey results released thus far:

• The closer a proposed data center to respondents' homes, the more likely they'd oppose it. Around 86% in the survey say they'd oppose a data center within three miles of their home, 75.4% said they'd oppose a facility at an unspecified location in Utah and 51.2% said they'd oppose a facility at an unspecified location in the United States.
• The factors deemed "very important" considerations in data center development by the largest share of respondents were water consumption, 90.3%; level of public participation in the decision-making process, 85.3%; energy consumption, 83.1%; and geographic location, 74.7%.
• Specifics about individual projects bear on the level of support they'd get. Around 51% of respondents would be slightly more or much more likely to support a data center project that relies on renewable energy. Just over 54% would be more inclined to back a proposal that uses recycled water or water not fit for human consumption. On the flip side, 61.3% would be much more or slightly more likely to oppose a facility that uses nonrenewable energy, including fossil fuels.

The researchers also stress that while a lot of focus has been placed on water use by data centers, the energy used to power the facilities also requires water.

"Greater understanding of this water-energy nexus and of community concerns can help inform decision-making," the executive summary reads.

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