Residents in Cascade County, Montana, say large data center projects are moving faster than the policies meant to govern them.
They argue that questions about water use, electrical demand, and the loss of undeveloped land should be resolved before more construction is considered, as the Montana Free Press reported.
What happened?
Roughly 250 people signed a petition presented at a July 28 commission meeting, where members of the Golden Triangle Resource Council asked Cascade County commissioners to stop new hyperscale data center development for now, the paper said.
They also urged county officials to seek a state-level review of consumer protections before additional large projects advance.
Specifically, MTFP noted the petition called on commissioners to pursue a county moratorium until regulations are in place, ask the Montana Public Service Commission to evaluate consumer protections, and make the same request of Gov. Greg Gianforte through his Energy Task Force.
One reason the issue remains active is last year's now-abandoned TAC Data Centers proposal near Great Falls. It would have reportedly required up to 600 megawatts of electricity, earning it the "hyperscale" designation.
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Montana is seeing similar local responses beyond Cascade County, with residents and officials in Yellowstone, Silver Bow, and Missoula counties also weighing how to handle data center proposals.
Why does it matter?
Data centers can bring investment, but they can also put enormous pressure on local infrastructure.
That tradeoff stands out even more in places where the power system is already tight. In the Great Falls case, MTFP reported that northcentral Montana did not have that amount of electricity readily available, which intensified concerns about the proposal.
Missoula County has taken a temporary pause of its own, showcasing that the issue extends beyond one community. The paper reported that county officials there want time to study possible effects on public health, safety, and natural resources before proceeding.
Developers including the Great Falls Development Alliance are trying to chart a path forward.
"We formed a data center task force to learn about the potential benefits and potential negative impacts, so if we do have another proposed data center project, we're better informed," Brett Doney, president and CEO of GFDA, told MTFP.
What's being done?
For now, the clearest step in Cascade County is the petition campaign. The paper reported that Golden Triangle Resource Council members want county officials to hold a public discussion about the energy and water demands tied to data centers.
Other Montana communities are pursuing different tactics. In Yellowstone County, MTFP reported organizer Kassi Solberg has advocated for a ballot measure that would require voter approval for data center projects, and Silver Bow County is pursuing a comparable effort.
Residents have also pressed for both caution and openness. Steve Grout, a member of the Golden Triangle Resource Council, outlined the motivation behind the petition.
"They want the county commission to take some steps to safeguard ourselves, our pocketbook and our natural resources and put some positive steps in place before the hyperscale lands on us," Grout told MTFP.
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