Drought fears spur big fight over Utah data center

Here & Now Anytime

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary wants to build a huge data center north of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The project was greenlit, but still needs to obtain water usage rights as lake water supply is nearing a new low. KUER reporter Macy Lipkin shares more.

Then, New Orleans may have crossed a “point of no return,” according to new analysis. Report co-author Jesse Keenan explains how rising seas, sinking land and stronger storms could point to a catastrophic environmental future.

And, ahead of the year's biggest day for birders, host Robin Young visits the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to learn how the lab is helping birds as they face new challenges.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:05.2	Just a couple of housekeeping things.
0:08.9	As last Monday, there will be no public comment, period.
0:15.7	During this meeting, enough, enough. Quiet down right now.
0:27.3	The Data Center Revolt has a new front in Utah.
0:46.1	It's Thursday, May 7th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR.
0:47.1	I'm Chris Bentley.
1:03.8	Today on the show, an urban planner at Tulane says New Orleans needs to come to grips with its grim climate reality and discuss a future that includes, at least some people, abandoning the city.
1:12.7	In private conversations, it's a daily part of our communications, but in public conversations, it's extraordinarily rare.
1:21.3	Also, Saturday is Birding's Big Day, when you can help crowdsource sightings for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Our own Robin Young stopped by the lab to learn more about Merlin ID, eBird, and Birdnet, apps which
1:30.3	have made it easy to identify and log sightings and help the new generation of birders
1:35.7	take flight. While she was there, she stopped by the feeder cam.
1:39.9	Are people watching you do this?
1:41.5	Yes, so I'm always a little self-conscious.
1:44.3	Oh, wait, I have to.
1:46.1	Hi, I'm on the camera.
1:48.1	I can't believe I'm on the camera.
1:50.1	The Cornell Lab of Ornithology adds another Robin to its collection in about 15 minutes.
1:56.8	But first, Utah is the latest stop on a nationwide tour of contention over data centers.
2:05.0	After hundreds of people turned out and thousands more submitted online comments against a mega project in the northwest corner of the state,
2:13.7	commissioners of Box Elder County approved plans for a data center and power plant covering some 60 square miles of mostly privately owned, unincorporated land.
2:25.3	A lead investor in the project is Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary.
	...

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