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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Oliver Milman

How the insatiable thirst of datacenters is leaving communities across the US high and dry

Petitioners react as the Box Elder county commission announces approval of a large datacenter on 4 May 2026 in Tremonton, Utah.
Petitioners react as the Box Elder county commission announces approval of a large datacenter on 4 May 2026 in Tremonton, Utah. Photograph: Natalie Behring/Getty Images

Kevin O’Leary is many things. He is a flamboyant venture capitalist, co-host of the TV show Shark Tank, vocal supporter of Donald Trump and, recently, a villainous tycoon (or, in his character’s words, a vampire born in 1601) in the Oscar-nominated Marty Supreme.

For the people of Utah, however, O’Leary is the highly controversial face of a new climate controversy. I’ll explain why, after this week’s most important reads.

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