A conservation advocacy group delivered a petition with roughly 250 signatures to Cascade County commissioners this week, urging the county to pause approval of hyperscale data center developments until state and local protections are in place.
The Golden Triangle Resource Council presented the petition during a Tuesday commissioners meeting, requesting three specific actions: that county leaders urge the Montana Public Service Commission to establish consumer safeguards; that they ask Governor Greg Gianforte to explore protections through his Energy Task Force; and that the county enact a temporary moratorium on hyperscale data center projects pending new regulations.
Background on data center proposals in Montana
The petition comes after TAC Data Centers proposed a massive facility in Great Falls last year that would have consumed up to 600 megawatts of electricity—the largest such project proposed in the state at the time. The company withdrew its proposal by fall.
The move reflects broader concerns about data center sprawl across Montana. A University of Montana study has quantified job creation associated with proposed data center facilities as several projects stall across the state, revealing both economic opportunity and community resistance to the projects.
Steve Grout, a Golden Triangle Resource Council member, said the group wanted commissioners to act preemptively. “We had a petition that about 250 signed that 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,” he stated.
Local response and ballot measures elsewhere
The Great Falls Development Alliance, the regional economic development organization, has taken its own approach. The group formed a data center task force to examine both benefits and drawbacks of such projects, positioning itself to respond more strategically if new proposals emerge. Brett Doney, the alliance’s president and CEO, said the task force aims to inform future decisions. “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,” he said.
Momentum for voter control over data center siting is building in other Montana counties. Kassi Solberg, a Yellowstone County resident, spearheaded a ballot initiative that would require voter approval of data center projects in her county. Similar ballot measures are underway in Silver Bow County, with elections projected for November.
The Golden Triangle Resource Council cited a New York Times report about Solberg’s effort when presenting its petition to commissioners, signaling that the conservation group is tracking the state’s emerging pushback against large-scale data center development.
What commissioners face
The commissioners have not yet indicated how they will respond to the petition. The request for a moratorium puts county leadership in the position of weighing economic development interests—data centers bring tax revenue and construction activity—against community concerns about electricity consumption, water use, and environmental impact during a period when such projects are stalled but may return to Montana.
State regulators and the governor’s office have also heard similar requests from communities across Montana as data center proposals have surfaced and drawn local opposition. How state and county leaders respond to these competing pressures will likely shape whether such projects move forward in the coming years.
