Backlash Is Growing Over Kevin O’Leary’s Data Center. He Is Blaming China.

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah—Kevin O’Leary is trying to build one of America’s largest data centers. That is, he said, if he can stop the Chinese government from interfering.

O’Leary aims to develop a natural-gas and data-center project covering thousands of acres in the Hansel Valley. For weeks, he has encountered furious pushback from people across the state, largely over the potential impact on the Great Salt Lake, which has been receding for years.