Bonner Data Center

There has not been sufficient evidence presented by the applicant to avoid potential substantial impacts to, not only the surrounding residents, but the environment and ecosystem surrounding this property. The proposed redevelopment of this brownfield property into an AI Data Center does not benefit the community in any way.
The unknown, highly likely, destructive impacts of the use, and contamination, of Montana water should be taken into account when deciding to approve or deny this project.
Noise and water contamination ARE a definite effect from existing Data Centers across the US. Don’t let fancy wording on a Special Exception Application fool you. The applicant is presenting a “lesser” impact statement on the application when it is certain this is only a gateway to expand and rape this neighborhood and river of everything that is truly special about Montana.
LISTEN to the common sense people of Montana. Say NO definitively to this proposed project.

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This can not happen. Data Centers will destroy Montana and all its natural beauty. The big tech companies keep pushing the message that we must adopt and get on board but that is not true. They are only pushing their agenda. We can say no! We can stand up against them. Data centers will bring massive water use, create huge power demand, create noise and light pollution, and put a strain on local infrastructure — there is no benefit to our local communities - big tech companies just want profit while locals deal with higher utility pressure and environmental impacts. Keep Missoula safe! We want clean rivers, open land, wildlife, and quality of life. We do not want or need industrial-scale server warehouses consuming enormous amounts of energy 24/7. This must be stopped! Don’t let them take the ‘last best place’

This project would hurt our community with no benefits. Everyone should be saying no to this blatant attack on the sustainability of our community. If we do not understand the impacts to our waterways then we cannot approve a project. I do not see how this project will benefit my community. I do know that I will not see a better quality of life. Please consider the overwhelming public outcry towards this center. Thank you for your time

The answer to this needs to be an unequivocal NO! As a lifelong Montanan and a Missoula resident for many years, there has been a noticeable and rapid trend of winters being warmer and drier every year. Rarely do we see snow anymore. Missoula and Bonner are at high risk during fire season, and the depletion and degradation of the water supply a data center would result in would make this problem worse. This data center provides NO benefits to the surrounding community and would only harm this environment and the people living in it. I have yet to hear from a single Missoula or Bonner resident who is in support of this data center being built. Montana is one of the few remaining places where people live in nature rather than replacing it. Our clean air, water, and land is not something we should take for granted, and building a data center here is a sure way to destroy it. Please DO NOT let this data center become a blight on our beautiful state.

Well Erin Brockovich is now taking on the data centers. Missoula County Commisioners slow the roll and wait because you’re going to find out how bad these data centers are. Don’t be behind the 8 ball. They are bad.

Absolutely Not!
Once this goes in no matter what terrible things happen we can't undo it! We have a moral obligation to protect the Blackfoot River and the water quality for future generations. This Data Center will not produce jobs immprove infrastructure or benefit anyone in the local community. The risk of its negative impacts on the quality of life and the environment are just to great. Let's not value the profits and greed of a handful of individuals over being good stewards of the home we are leaving for future generations.
The only way to minimize the disaster this will bring is to not allow it in the first place. Stop the Bonner Data Center now!

I’ve lived in MT my entire life. Every year, a very obvious change in the climate has been presenting itself. It may not be obvious unless you’ve lived here for multiple years in a row, but our moisture is dwindling every season. It’s no secret that AI data centers use water more than citizens in towns combined. To allow something like this to be in a drought state that is already in a water crisis is a reckless for the citizens of Montana. This can NOT happen.

No. Data centers are proven to be detrimental for the health of the people and the land. The amount of water they use is disgusting. Our snowpack is already decreasing each year. This plan does not support the community. AI takes jobs from the people. We are already facing a recession, life is unaffordable. Furthermore, this is sacred land to the tribes. All in all, this is a terrible proposal. No data center! Please!

This data center has absolutely no worthwhile benefits for anybody in Bonner, Missoula, or Montana, and has the potential to cause countless consequences for our community. I have not spoken to a single person who wants this data center. The ecological impacts have the potential to be disastrous. There is absolutely no reason to touch our vital water sources for a project like this. The profits of the few have infinitesimal value in comparison to the well-being of our communities and to protecting our natural water sources and ecosystems. The people of Montana do not want this data center. Do not approve a project that will harm this and future generations for the sake of momentary profits. It would be a horrible disgrace, and a stain on our state.

Fire and drought are the two greatest threats to person and property in Montana right now. A data center capable of raising the ambient temperatures of the surrounding area by 10-20 degrees is a severe threat to the community, and a reckless project in a climate like ours already highly vulnerable to even minor increases in heat.

NO. This data center is a horrible idea. It will not provide sustainable jobs, it will pollute and waste our energy resources, it does not benefit the citizens of Bonner and Missoula county in any sustainable manner. Absolutely NO.

I don't believe anyone is falling for the notion that these data centers have value for the people who live near them. All the money going into the pockets of cities that allow these is provided by those who sell chips, those who sell AI promises, those want to CUT jobs, and those who want to mine bitcoin. None of these are useful for the inhabitants of the city.

The inhabitants of this city are unplugging unused devices to save power and being told to keep the thermostat under 65 in the winter. It's a slap in the face to think they can just build a data center like this because "it's industrially zoned". For Missoula it is a useless and dangerous waste. It's a prime example of how little an individual's efforts matter when measured against the massive waste that big moneyed interests cause on a daily basis.

And they will say that they won't pollute the river, and that they have ecologically sound methods. But the fact is that the government of Montana cares more about making money than anything else, just like congress, the supreme court and the president. So when these people DO pollute the river and we try to stop them, they'll find sympathetic voices all the way to the top. Nobody will stop them. If they say they're not going to pollute, but they can do it with impunity, they will.

I am 100% expecting this to get built, force water restrictions, pollute the river, raise energy prices and take the jobs of people in missoula and elsewhere.

No, No and NoX100!
I've been a home owner along the Blackfoot River for 21 years. I am against a permit for a data center in Bonner. We do not have water or electricity to spare for such a project. Our pristine wilderness is our asset and needs to be kept wild without impact. Back when there was a Bitcoin mining operation at the Bonner Mill site the electrical currents impacted residents and local wildlife. We already know big industry doesn't fit into our river ecosystem. We are on the historic Lewis and Clark Trail, what would they say about this proposed data center? Any county commissioner who supports this will lose all support from the public. The answer is simple, no, no and again no!

I apposed to the proposed Bonner data center because of the potential impacts it could have on our community, natural resources, and quality of life. Residents have already raised serious concerns about increased power demand, water consumption, constant industrial noise, and the long-term strain this project could place on the Bonner and Missoula area. The facility is expected to operate around the clock while providing very few permanent local jobs, raising questions about whether the benefits truly outweigh the costs. Many community members also feel frustrated by the lack of clear answers from developers regarding future expansion, infrastructure needs, and environmental impacts near the Blackfoot River corridor. Bonner is a unique community valued for its natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and small-town character, and I believe projects of this scale should be approached with far more transparency, caution, and public input before moving forward.

Absolutely not. This data center will not be tolerated.

The AI data center is not going to create enough jobs in Missoula to make up for water usage and pollution. The building will be standalone, requiring little human element to keep it running. Another business that will actually give Montanans jobs could move into the Bonner space if it is not occupied by the data center. Think of our amazing natural resources that make Missoula the place we are proud to live and protect them. Much more harm than good will come from a data center being built in our county.

I and all other Missoula County residents I have spoken with oppose data centers in our county.

In assessing the impact of data centers on neighboring homes, I would direct the Board to two resources. First, while the development of AI-specific data centers is relatively new, the development of Bitcoin mining centers and other data centers are not. Numerous lawsuits have dealt with the noise pollution and health impacts stemming from the 24/7 operation of high-powered computers. Notably, those lawsuits are sometimes filed against the government entity that approved the center, draining taxpayer resources. See:

Paulus v. Citicorp N. Am., Inc., No. 2:12-CV-856, 2014 WL 4557603, at *3 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 12, 2014) (noise complaints based on constant ambient noise of 36dBA and peak noise levels ranging from 47 dBA to 61 dBA)

Oak Valley Homeowners Ass'n, Inc. v. Prince William Cnty. Bd. of Supervisors, 85 Va. App. 382, 391, 917 S.E.2d 562, 566 (2025) (landowners challenging Board approval of data center that would increase noise levels to over 75 decibels)

North Tonawanda (New York) lawsuit against DigiX https://www.niagaraaction.com/north-tonawanda-crypto-mining-facility-moves-to-dismiss-court-action-over-noise-violations/ (data center cited multiple times for nighttime noise over 50 decibels, plaintiffs allege $250 fine per citation is not enough).

Dobler Engineering's Supplemental Information, provided May 5, 2026, suggest sound level emissions from a similar facility in WA emit 75.6 decibels within 2 feet, 69.9 decibels at 35 feet, and 64 decibels at 70 feet. They then estimate the sound levels at the property line (467 feet away from the noise generating equipment) will be 45 decibels. I have concerns regarding the accuracy of these estimates when applied to the Bonner site. I have further concerns that noise levels as low as 50 dba at night have been the subject of prior litigation.

Second, studies suggest the noise levels emitted from data centers harm neighbors' health: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/communities-are-raising-noise-pollution-concernsabout-data-centers.

Wealth and power is fueling a massive expansion in energy and water demand.
The water demands of data centers are immense, threatening the local water supplies that are vital for both community needs a basic necessitie. Even when they say that they have a way to save water, the trade off then becomes using more electricity.
These centers contribute to the formation of "heat domes," which can drastically alter the local climate, making the areas inhospitable driving away wildlife.
And the false promise of these data centers jobs. Developers say this because they know that it is attractive to policymakers; they come asking the state to give them benefits in the form of tax breaks, reduced regulations, or special zoning permissions in exchange for job creation. Construction may last a year.
Staff for these centers are very low. It's will be a warehouse of servers.
And the taxs breaks they will be given is a plus for them only.
The construction of data centers on these lands is not just a threat to the environment; it’s a disruption to a delicate ecosystem. Data centers require significant amounts of electricity, putting an undue strain on our power supply and leading to increased rates for local.
We need to prevent further environmental damage.
The only winners of these data centers are the ones
Who want to put them all across America.
I among many oppose this data center.

Montanans do NOT want this! It would be the downfall of our beautiful town. Nothing good comes from this!!!