Take 2 Podcast: Speaker Mike Schultz on data center, 2028 governor's race

Uh, we have a ton to talk about and I feel like we keep talking about the data center, but every week there's something new to talk about it, and we haven't had, uh, Speaker Schultzy, I feel like I wanna go with it now-

[laughs]

... uh, here to talk about it with us.

So I'm gonna let you go first, uh, with the data center.

Uh, there's a new possibility of a referendum.

We can get there, but, um, as the house speaker, for people who are wondering, did you have a role in making sure this was approved? Uh-

Yeah

... were you, did you have any involvement? When did you know about it? Tell us what you wanna know about the data center.

Yeah.

Well, that, thank you for al- allowing me to talk about it.

So first off, and, and maybe I'll start right there.

So, uh, I did not find out about it.

I started to hear rumors about this, uh, in February.

Uh, but of course, y- you, the rumors that we hear, I mean, we're hearing about data centers all across the state and of course other things, uh, uh, that happen.

And so I don't put much stock into just hearing certain things.

But, uh, towards the first, or, or let's see, the first week of April is when I was made aware that this was something that people wanted to move forward with, and that Box Elder County was seriously talking about moving forward with it.

And so, uh, that's when I was made aware of it, and so those are the first conversations that I had around this, was the first part of April.

So do you find about it, like others, as in a rumor then? Or as someone, as speaker, it's something that it's brought to the table? Does MIDA talk to you? How does that all work out?

Yeah.

Uh, so it, it was brought to mi- brought to, uh, I can't remember who, but, uh, brought, brought it to my attention and said, "Hey, MIDA's considering this.

Box Elder County's Commission are considering this.

Uh, and, you know, we, we, we just wanna have a conversation with you about it." And so that's when it, it was brought to my attention and, and, and of course, just like everybody else, I had a lot of, and still have, a lot of questions.

So I had a lot of concerns.

Some of those concerns were answered.

Uh, but you know, I think there's still fair questions out there that need to be answered around air, uh, and, and, and what does all the power generation do to, to our air quality, and so on and so forth.