THE PROBLEM
Montanans Are Exposed To Data Centers
Industrial-scale data centers are not conventional commercial developments.
They function more like power plants in reverse - consuming extraordinary electricity & water while producing few long-term jobs or local benefits.
Without action, Montanans pay the bill.
Ratepayers Subsidize Big Tech
When a data center joins the grid, utilities spread infrastructure upgrade costs across all customers — including Montana families and small farms. Under current rules, there is no requirement that data centers pay the full cost of the generation and transmission they require. Data centers must have their own rate class to ensure transparency and protect ratepayers.
Water Resources & Rights Under Threat
Data centers can consume hundreds of millions of gallons annually. Data center developers can exploit the "350 gallons per minute" exemption to bypass comprehensive permitting. In a state where water is already overallocated, unchecked withdrawals risk permanently drying up water resources and private water rights. Water used by data centers is polluted with forever chemicals and thermally, threatening clean water resources and aquatic life.
Approvals Happen in the Dark
Opaque and non-transparent approval and permitting processes prevent necessary public scrutiny of data center projects that will affect utility costs, water supplies, and people in entire regions. By the time area residents learn what is being built, decisions are often essentially pre-approved — with no meaningful opportunity for input.
Zero Regulatory Guardrails
Montana has no dedicated rate class, no cost-allocation framework, and no meaningful transparency requirements for data center approvals. Regulatory fragmentation across agencies allows projects to slip through procedural gaps, leaving small businesses, families, and communities exposed.