Jon Cox

Utah Public Affairs | Alumnus of @PacifiCorp, @GovHerbert, @UtahReps and @SnowCollege.

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

@HollyontheHill Also I’m pretty sure the category “United States Local Government” is the least popular book category out there, but I’ll still gladly take that #1 New Release ranking. #utpol

[Utah Jazz @utahjazz]

On this day in 1997…

John Stockton called game 🚨

[The Emmys @TheEmmys]

The #NewsEmmys Award for Outstanding Graphic Design: News goes to Johnny Harris @johnnywharris (Newpress).

[Governor Cox @GovCox]

Welcome home, President Mallett.

Chris understands the transformative power of higher education because Weber State helped shape his own life and career. I’m excited to see him return to his alma mater and help lead Weber State into its next chapter.

https://t.co/8alkjgIoAe

[Utah System of Higher Education @higheredutah]

The Utah Board of Higher Education is pleased to welcome Chris Mallett as the next president of @WeberStateU! He will assume the position on August 1, 2026. Read the full release: https://t.co/bp8nsIx0ML
#HigherEdLiftsUtah #UtEd

[Utah System of Higher Education @higheredutah]

.@WeberStateU’s next president is expected to be announced Thursday, May 21, at 10 a.m.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members are invited to attend at the Dumke Legacy Hall or watch live online. For more information: https://t.co/haYNrSroyL
#HigherEdLiftsUtah

[Governor Cox @GovCox]

America cannot build a secure future while depending on China for critical materials.

Cedar City welcomed a major critical minerals project that will help bring antimony production back to the United States. Antimony is essential for defense systems, battery storage, advanced electronics, and other technologies our country relies on.

By developing these resources here at home, Utah is helping strengthen America’s supply chains while creating hundreds of good-paying jobs in Iron and Garfield counties.

Utah is proving that energy security, national security, and rural economic strength go hand in hand.

More here: https://t.co/SweAaizlzZ

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

Wearing #47 👀 @AJ_Dybantsa

[Utah Office of Energy Development @UtahOED]

Nuclear energy has a champion, and Utah has several. ⚡

Congrats to @GovCox, @annmillner, Rep. Carl Albrecht, and Emy Lesofski, director of @utahoed on being named to the inaugural class of Nuclear State Champions by @Nuclear_Matters

Proud to see Utah on the national stage. 🌟

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

@tracewoodgrains This is the content I’ve been waiting for!

[Governor Cox @GovCox]

I’ve heard from a lot of Utahns over the past week about the proposed data center project in Box Elder County. Many are asking questions about water, air quality, energy, land use, and the long-term impact on rural Utah. Those are real concerns, and all Utahns should expect clear standards and accountability.

Industry is our state’s motto. And in our pursuit of economic strength, we must always ensure that development is thoughtful and in line with Utah values.

Based on conversations with residents, local leaders, subject matter experts, and project stakeholders, the following actions are now being taken regarding this project. 🧵

[Christopher Barnard @ChrisBarnardDL]

Agree or disagree with Governor Cox's conclusion here, this is a good-faith way to engage with your constituents on a topic that's causing really intense emotions.

Validate concerns, implement ways to mitigate them, and highlight a phased approach that empowers continued input.

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

He’s a retired Bookmobile driver. Also a wonderful guy. You should meet him before making more baseless accusations.

[Utah System of Higher Education @higheredutah]

The Utah Board of Higher Education is now accepting nominations & applications for @tooeletech's next President! For more information on the position or to nominate or apply, visit: https://t.co/t6L0vPX4pX

#HigherEdLiftsUtah #UtEd

[Christopher Koopman @ckoopman]

The conversation around Stratos has gotten badly unmoored from the actual proposal, and it’s worth addressing the biggest misconceptions before the vote.

The loudest claim is that this project will draw more power than the entire state. True at full buildout. Beside the point, because Stratos generates its own power on site. It doesn't draw from the public grid. Last year the legislature passed SB 132 precisely for large private loads that build and operate their own generation off-grid. Utah's existing 4 GW stays where it is. Electricity bills won’t go up because of this project. The "more than the whole state" line sounds scary to some, but falls apart the second you dig in.

The water claim deserves more care than it's been getting. The water rights at issue are existing agricultural rights. Bar H Ranch is transferring 1,900 acre-feet currently used for irrigation. This is not new pressure on the basin, but a reallocation. The data center cooling itself is closed-loop. The gas plant will use some water for power generation, and we should want the developer to specify how much; that's a fair ask. But the framing that Stratos is "draining the lake" assumes new diversions that don't exist in the actual filings. The Great Salt Lake is in real trouble, and most of that trouble has names. Stratos isn't one of them.

The tax-giveaway argument frustrates me the most, because it imagines a counterfactual that doesn't exist and ignores the actual math. The reduced energy is the price of getting the project to land here instead of in Texas or Wyoming. Even at 0.5%, the county pulls in roughly $30M a year in Phase 1, and over $100M annually at full buildout. The state pulls in roughly $49M. The developer is prepaying the county $5.4M a year for the first three years to fund emergency services before tax revenue starts. The developer is paying for every road, sewer line, and stormwater system in the project area and deeding it to the county. If specialized fire equipment is needed, the developer pays for that too. Two thousand permanent jobs in a part of Utah that has been waiting a long time for a real employer. None of that exists if the answer is no.

And the site is the part of the case I keep waiting for someone to make. Hansel Valley is unincorporated, sparsely populated, sits on the Ruby Pipeline, and is adjacent to military infrastructure with strong reasons to want resilient on-site power. The land is doing nothing else. It has been, in policy terms, waiting for this.

I'll grant the strongest version of the critique. The process moved fast, and the commissioners felt blindsided. That's a real complaint and worth fixing in how these things come to the county next time. But the choice today isn't between this Stratos and a better Stratos. It's between this Stratos and the same project getting built somewhere else.

The country has decided, at the level of abstraction, that it wants to lead on AI. You don't get to keep saying yes to the abstraction and no to every concrete project that would make the abstraction real.

[Cole Bagley @BagleyKSLsports]

Durzi on his connection to Utah:

"Utah as a state & a community as a whole has made it so welcoming for myself, my family. I think it's so important that we take pride in being here."

"This is home...I love it here. It's an amazing place. I'm really, really happy to be here."

[Dylan McDonnell @DylanCMcDonnell]

New theory: @MikeLMower is just a time-travelling Governor Maw.

[Ryan Smith @RyanQualtrics]

Sometimes the toughest endings are the clearest beginnings.

Our guys are resilient, connected, and willing to fight for everything. Year two, and already pushing into the playoffs… that doesn’t happen by accident.

I’m incredibly proud of our players, our coaches, and everyone who is building this the right way.

To Mammoth Nation — you have created something unforgettable. You gave this team energy, belief, and a reason to keep pushing. The boys felt it every night.

We felt it. The league felt it.
This isn’t a moment. It’s momentum.

We’re building a team, a culture, a hockey state…and something we can rally around for a long time.

We’ll come back stronger.
More connected.
More ready.

This is just the beginning.
Onward and upward. #TusksUp

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

The offending book title, “Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt.” https://t.co/PfvbtgYkkW

[Jon Cox @joncox435]

Fighting book bans one day. Banning books the next.

[Wesley Ruff @wesleyabc4]

I've been to a lot of events covering sports in Utah in my 41 years at @abc4utah , including the NBA Finals. But this is better. WAY better!!