Candidate raises transparency, water and subsidy concerns about fast-tracked data-center projects

Speaking on the Utah County Republican Party podcast, David Spencer said recent data-center projects — described in the podcast as accelerated from typical year-plus timelines to five months — demonstrate why counties must pause, gather more information and publicly explain benefits and risks before approving such developments.

"If the optics look bad, we need to step back and say, 'Let's take a time out and let's regroup,'" Spencer said, adding that citizens must be heard in a deliberate process. He criticized the apparent speed of the Box Elder County review and said some residents felt they were not listened to; he described reports that complaints had been cleared and applications refiled as undermining public trust.

Spencer raised three categories of practical concern: water usage, power generation and the terms of financial incentives. He noted data centers commonly use large amounts of water for cooling and said some facilities use natural-gas-fired power plants; both elements, he said, deserve scrutiny given statewide water stress and local infrastructure limits. "If the optics look bad, we need to step back ... because I if somebody can see it and say it looks bad, I just think you need to step back and let's redo it," he said.

On subsidies and procurement, Spencer said county leaders should ensure a fair competitive process for service contracts and raise the question — framed on the podcast as a query, not a proven fact — whether political connections could create preferential deals. "If Governor Cox's family is benefiting from this... why would they get the contract instead of first digital or somebody else?" Spencer asked, calling for transparent RFPs and scrutiny of any special terms.

He said he would visit existing data centers to evaluate real-world impacts on water and power usage, and insisted grant or incentive packages that impose operational strings should be refused. "I'm not going to take money if there is strings attached," he said.

The podcast did not include responses from county officials or developers for the Box Elder project; Spencer framed many comments as candidate skepticism and called for more public study before any county endorsement or support.

Spencer suggested that if developers can fully answer questions about power, water and land use, then a project might be worth consideration; otherwise he said he would oppose subsidies or fast-tracked approvals.