From the Bear Den
Issue 3
Box Elder Accountability Referendum(B.E.A.R.) •
• June 22, 2026
In This Issue:
June 16th Grow the Flow Forum and Town Hall recap, news articles, upcoming events, and more!
The Legal Update
As of today, June 22, 2026, we are on day 14, going into week 3, after filing our appeal with the county to reverse their decision about the referendum. We are still in limbo waiting to hear anything. The countdown is on!
Events Recap
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 had our very own Brenna Williams at the Grow the Flow Forum and Town Hall event in Sunset, Utah. Unfortunately, the live stream had some sound issues and we weren’t able to hear Brenna or Nat Williams of Stewardship Utah’s forum speeches, but I was able to get Brenna’s speech.
In summary, she talked about the anger, powerlessness, and betrayal we all feel.
She reminds us that B.E.A.R. refuses to back down, that we built this group specifically to fight against this project and educate others about data centers.
Brenna calls us to vote according to the issues, not just the party - as a lifelong conservative, this has hit home for her.
Lastly, she sends a message to everyone in the state of Utah - that we as B.E.A.R. need your support, but we also want to support you! Box Elder’s fight is your fight, and there’s even more data center projects already being built, even while we are in extreme drought.
To paraphrase Brenna in her closing statements, these data centers are like a cancer that grows and spreads, hurting and destroying everything they touch.
We are all in this fight together!
You can watch the recording of the event here to see the rest of the speeches, which included Nat Williams of Stewardship Utah, Rhonda Lauritzen, whose family owns land in the Hansel Valley on the northern edge of the Great Salt Lake, and Ben Abbot from Grow the Flow and BYU Environmental Science.
Senate President Stuart Adams, Braden Hess, and Stephanie Hollist were the guests for the town hall portion, answering questions about their stances on various issues, a prominent one being, of course, data centers. All three of them are running in Senate District 7 as Republicans.
Questions? Email me! brigette@bearthefight.org
Comments? You can either email me, or comment on the article!
HELP WANTED
To apply for a support role, fill out the volunteer form!
*All positions in B.E.A.R. are volunteer positions.
Current Roles we are seeking:
People ready to be boots on the ground when we can gather signatures!
If you have already filled out the volunteer form, somebody should be reaching out to you shortly if they haven’t already - if you have not had any contact and it’s been more than a couple weeks, please reach out to us! (We are learning new things every day to streamline the process! Thank you so much so far for your patience with us.)
Press corner
News articles featuring the Box Elder Accountability Referendum Team and other relevant news (I just learned how to filter the news articles 😀):
June 15, 2026:
Grow The Flow forum puts data centers, water and State Senate race in spotlight
What CIOs need to know about community-first AI infrastructure
AI attack ads fly in contentious Republican primary for ‘vulnerable’ Utah Senate president’s seat
Utah’s Senate President faces his first primary challengers in over a decade (3rd story down)
June 16, 2026:
BEAR appeals referendum denial over Stratos data center project
Utah Senate president’s primary could hinge on massive data center project
Republican primary candidates speak on proposed Stratos Project at Grow the Flow Town Hall
Data center dominates candidate forum in Utah Senate president’s reelection bid
Utah Senate Primary Candidates Debate Proposed Stratos AI Data Center
Utah Senate President Faces Criticism Over Proposed AI Data Center
June 17, 2026:
Box Elder County passes moratorium on future data centers
⭐Photographer’s report: What I saw at the Hansel Valley data center site
There’s a key reason data center developers are increasingly drawn to Utah — and it lies underground
Utah Senate president and his GOP challengers debate data center, MIDA ahead of primary
In a rare show of unity, towns are pushing back as AI data centers strain grids, water, and wallets
US Lawmakers Demand FBI Probe Into Chinese Interference Over AI Data Centers
Congress, Big Wig Investors Have New Theory To Explain America’s Data Center Revolt
June 18, 2026:
Utah lawmakers take first steps to regulate large-scale data centers
Salt Lake City man accused of stalking person he blamed for Box Elder County data center plans (Please don’t do this guys. We at B.E.A.R. do not condone any violence, stalking, etc. It only hurts the cause)
The price and promise of Utah’s AI ambitions
Monterey Park blares a warning to the AI industry
How Utahns took on Mr. Wonderful and a data center on the Great Salt Lake
Data center company backed by Kevin O’Leary plans public offering
Kevin O’Leary’s Utah Data Center EXPOSED | Military Capture Nobody Voted On
June 19, 2026:
The Data Center Backlash Uniting America
Utah lawmakers take first steps to regulate large-scale data centers
Box Elder County commissioner responds to conflict of interest allegations tied to Stratos Project
Communities around the country pushing back on data center development
Local and Congressional primary races in Utah to watch this election day
Box Elder County Commissioner Denies Conflict of Interest Allegations
June 20, 2026:
How data centres disrupt the lives of local communities
The Data Center Backlash That’s Uniting America
Discussions on Data Centers
Do we trust the environmental experts and evidence we see with our own eyes in other states? Or do we trust what the officials are trying to feed us with their promises of “closed loop systems making and returning water to the Great Salt Lake”?
Submit your responses to brigette@bearthefight.org or leave a comment on the post!
Mark Your Calendar!
Upcoming Events
URGENT!
June 23, 2026
Election Primary!
Info linked above - If you’re not registered to vote, we can help!
June 25, 2026
Box Elder County Commission Meeting
11:30AM
Commission Chambers of the Box Elder County Courthouse
01 South Main Street
Brigham City, Utah
SAVE THE DATE!
DATE CHANGED
June 27, 2026
July 11, 2026
Stratos documentary screening!
8:30PM
Shuman Park,Tremonton
210 N Tremont St
July 4th, 24th, County Fair, Peach Days
We want to invite everyone who wants to join us, to come walk in the 4th of July, 24th of July, County Fair and Peach Days parades. Specific details coming!
Voices from the Den: What’s On Your Mind?
Issue 1: What was your immediate reaction to the May 4th Commission vote, and what are you most concerned about losing if Project Stratos moves forward as planned?
Issue 2: If you attended the B.E.A.R. rally on Saturday, June 13, 2026, what was your favorite part? What can we do better at future rallies/community events?
Issue 3: Do you feel the county's new 6-month pause is a genuine step toward protecting Box Elder, or is it a case of "too little, too late"? What specific rules or protections do you want to see our local leaders put in place over the next 180 days to actually protect our watershed and earn back public trust?
You can submit your responses by replying to this email, emailing them to brigette@bearthefight.org, or commenting on the post here on Substack!
Cave Paintings
SPECIAL FEATURE!
For anyone interested MorgansArtCorner is gearing up to sell some prints of this image as a sticker. She plans to only keep what she needs to continue printing more, and then the rest of any proceeds will be donated to B.E.A.R.
HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!
As an extra bonus, She’s ordering the stickers from a local woman owned business, Prism Print Shop.
The Backyard
Pull up a chair and relax! The fight to protect our county is hard work, so this is our space to slow down, share a local recipe, and challenge our brains.
Here is this week’s word search! (You can click the picture to take you to the word search, where you can play online, or download and print it)
What do you want to see for next week? Vote in the poll!
The Picnic Basket
The community recipe corner! If you have a recipe you’d like to share with the community and see featured here, please send it over to:
Let me know if you’d like your name included as the contributor, just initials, and if you’d like any social media linked.
This week’s recipes:
German Pancakes - Submitted by Chris Nielson
Rachel Ray’s Vinegar Based Coleslaw - Submitted by Chris Nielson
Feedback & suggestions
Did we miss something? Want to see something added? Constructive feedback is always welcome! (Please don’t make me cry.)
Brigette Cottam
Box Elder Accountability Referendum
Contact us: brigette@bearthefight.org
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