Bonner Data Center

It took over a decade to clean up the contamination left by the Stimson cooling ponds. How long is it going to take to clean up the environmental disaster that this project will obviously leave us with? Krambu is going steal and poison our water, steal our power, and charge us for the privilege. Nobody wants this here. If the county has a shred of integrity they’ll block this.

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This is highly inappropriate for our environment and residents. We don't need a data center! We are in a drought as it is, and they want to make it hotter, take our water from our river, and cause so many other issues that go along with data centers, for what? It's greedy. They should be ashamed of themselves for wanting to spoil such a beautiful place. A place that, mind you, is also on fire for two months and we need that river water? Crazy. We need the snow in the winter to help prevent fires as well, and data centers create so much heat, they literally change the weather. After this past winter, how can this even be a thought? And as for the residents, do you think we can afford our electricity bills to go up any higher than they already are? You put this in, I guarantee alot of the locals will move out. Montana isn't only for the rich! The rest of us matter too! It's too expensive right now! How about your resources go into helping fix that. A new Data center will only cause problems and from what I've seen, everyone opposes this. I will be highly disappointed if this goes through. That idea shouldve been squashed in March.

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This entire project should have been a "NOT IN MONTANA"!!! The answer is simple..... NO, NO, NO!!!! Most Missoula County residents do not want this project and do not need this Data Center for our benefit or in our backyard... so NO!! Our treasured Blackfoot River has been abused enough by home grown Montanans and outsiders for way too long. Could we once and for all stop abusing her with cooling centers for machines, gold mines and other nonsense. Is there any chance that once again we could protect our precious resources for future generations??? I do not know how anyone in favor of this can sleep at night taking on the burden of approving this proposed Data Center.... please explain that to me.

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I do not support this project. Our state is in the midst of the worst drought in history and Data Centers use enormous amounts. No thanks

Nooo. Please do not let a few wealthy people ruin our beautiful community. This is risky and the numbers already show they are misrepresenting the potential harm.

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No thanks, we are already in drought conditions, and there are health/sleep concerns associated with them. Mt is to precious to add this trash

Beyond creating heat zones that raise the temperature of the surrounding areas by several degrees, data centers have been shown to leach PFAs and heavy metals into the cooling water, which is currently proposed to be discharged into the septic system at the site. This water will then contaminate the local groundwater which is used by the surrounding community as their drinking water. There are currently dozens of lawsuits across the country for wells running dry, unusable water pressure, and poisoned drinking water. Sitting right on the banks of the Blackfoot river, this proposed data center will undoubtedly contaminate one of the most pristine recreation corridors in the lower 48 and a major source of tourism dollars in this state. While I strongly oppose data (surveillance) centers in general, the location of this proposed one couldn't be worse if you tried. Protect our waters - vote against allowing this project to proceed.

My comment regards Missoula County’s requirement that a data center replace its electrical energy use with “new, renewable energy." If Krambu’s Bonner data center consumes 5 megawatts and operates 24/7 as expected, it would consume 43.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in a year. The County must require Krambu to replace its electricity consumption with a new, renewable energy facility that annually generates 43.8 GWh.

I am against this proposal. Montana is in a drought, expected to get worse. We do not have the water or power tobaupport this center. It will only employ a few people and is not worth the devastating impact it will have on the environment. No. Just no.

This is not far from my home. I’m sure financially it benefits Missoula County; however, let’s talk about the environment. God entrusted this earth to we humans expecting us to take care of the land and the animals. You can see in the skies they are pouring chemicals onto earth because of this fear of climate change, never mind it’s filling your body with aluminum, barium, strontium and who knows what else. Now you want to put a Data Center right smack into the middle of a little town, next to an elementary school and a church! Here are the cons I asked the internet were:

Energy Consumption
High Energy Demand: Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity, with projections suggesting they could account for up to 12% of total U.S. energy production by 2028. This demand can strain local power grids.
Environmental Impact
Potential Environmental Issues: The operation of data centers can lead to increased emissions and water usage, raising concerns about their environmental footprint. Cooling systems often require significant water resources, which can affect local water supplies.
Resource Strain
Strain on Local Resources: The high energy and water demands can lead to increased costs for residents and potential impacts on property values. Communities may face challenges in managing these resources effectively.
Aspect Pros Cons
Economic Impact Boosts local economies Requires significant investment
Job Creation Creates jobs Jobs may be fewer than expected
Tax Revenue Generates substantial tax income Potential strain on local budgets
Energy Consumption Supports technological growth High energy demand
Environmental Impact Can drive infrastructure improvements Potential negative environmental effects

So is it really worth a few extra jobs? While those on SS get higher electric bills, water will become scare on those drought years. And go look up pictures of before and after of the landscape after a Data Center was placed in the area. They went from green to barren.

Missoulians what are you willing to lose? What will the value of your home become? What are the long term impacts on the people of the community?

Please think about this

I am writing to formally express my strong opposition to the proposed Krambu Data Center at the Bonner mill site. As a concerned resident, I believe this project presents significant risks to our community and does not align with the values of Montana.

My concerns regarding this development include:

- Environmental and Noise Impact: The potential for environmental degradation and constant noise pollution poses a threat to the quality of life for those living near the mill.
- Economic Consequences: Despite the scale of this project, there is a notable lack of local employment opportunities and meaningful revenue generation for our county and state.
- Impact on Residents and Small Businesses: I am deeply concerned that the energy demands of this center will lead to higher utility rates for local residents and small business owners. Furthermore, the industrial nature of the facility is likely to cause property values in Bonner to depreciate.

This data center does not provide a clear benefit to the citizens of Montana and appears to prioritize outside interests over the well-being of our local community. I urge you to take these concerns into serious consideration during the decision-making process.

Thank you for your time and for considering my perspective on this critical matter.

Sincerely,
Jaimie Elser

I am writing to formally express my strong opposition to the proposed Krambu Data Center at the Bonner mill site. As a concerned resident, I believe this project presents significant risks to our community and does not align with the values of Montana.

My concerns regarding this development include:

- Environmental and Noise Impact: The potential for environmental degradation and constant noise pollution poses a threat to the quality of life for those living near the mill.
- Economic Consequences: Despite the scale of this project, there is a notable lack of local employment opportunities and meaningful revenue generation for our county and state.
- Impact on Residents and Small Businesses: I am deeply concerned that the energy demands of this center will lead to higher utility rates for local residents and small business owners. Furthermore, the industrial nature of the facility is likely to cause property values in Bonner to depreciate.

This data center does not provide a clear benefit to the citizens of Montana and appears to prioritize outside interests over the well-being of our local community. I urge you to take these concerns into serious consideration during the decision-making process.

Thank you for your time and for considering my perspective on this critical matter.

Sincerely,

Jaimie Elser 5th Generation Montanan

This proposed data center is 70 yards from my front door. When the bitcoin mine was there it was loud and bright. This is not fair to the families that live here. I strongly oppose this project and hope it does not proceed.

To the Missoula County Consolidated Land Use Board,

My name is Nathan Stephens and I work at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater in Bonner. I'm submitting this comment because I have serious concerns about the acoustic impacts of the proposed Bonner Mill Data Center — specifically low-frequency noise and infrasound — on the residential neighbors nearby and on workers and guests at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater and Kettlehouse Brewery.

I want the board to know that this is not a theoretical concern. Communities near data centers across the country are currently reporting constant low-frequency hums from cooling systems and mechanical equipment that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Residents near these facilities have described effects including headaches, sleep disruption, nausea, and anxiety — symptoms that can be difficult to pin to a source because low-frequency sound is notoriously hard to measure with standard decibel equipment. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute has noted that because data center noise spans multiple frequency ranges, conventional meters often fail to capture it accurately, making enforcement of noise ordinances very difficult after the fact.

This is my specific concern for our site: the Kettlehouse Amphitheater hosts live music events where both performers and audience members are already exposed to high sound levels. Low-frequency industrial noise from a neighboring facility — even at levels that don't register clearly on a standard dBA meter — can interfere with the acoustic environment of a performance venue in ways that are real and damaging to the experience and potentially to the viability of the business. Workers at the amphitheater and the brewery would be exposed to whatever baseline hum this facility produces on a continuous basis.

I am asking the board to require the following before granting any special exception:

1. Specific, enforceable noise limits that cover low-frequency sound at the property lines nearest to residential uses and the Kettlehouse Amphitheater. Which will include independent acoustic studies that measures across the full frequency spectrum, including low-frequency and infrasound ranges — not just A-weighted dBA measurements, which are known to underrepresent these frequencies. Including enforceable penalties and remediation if noise limits are broken.

3. A requirement that the applicant demonstrate how cooling equipment, server fans, and any backup generation will be acoustically mitigated — not just screened visually.

4. A clear mechanism for neighbors and nearby businesses to report and have violations investigated after the facility is operating.

The Bonner/Milltown community is a special place. The Kettlehouse Amphitheater, the brewery, and the residential neighborhoods here have built something worth protecting. I urge the board to take acoustic impacts seriously and to hold this applicant to a high standard before any exception is granted.

Thank you for your consideration.

Nathan Stephens
Missoula, Montana

I strongly oppose this project. It's bad for Missoula. It's bad for Montana. It's bad for our planet. I think it's fairly safe to say that there is not enough context or evidence to estimate the potential damage to the Blackfoot and surrounding natural areas. Time and time again, businesses and the people that run them have exploited Montana natural resources for their own personal gain. Many of these decisions that minimized the impact have left detrimental impacts on the state with significant environmental impacts that have affected the health of the environment and it's people. Leaving US, the citizens to clean up the mess both literally and financially while they laugh their way to the bank and use their monetary influence to buy elections and into the next venture. We have to stop this cycle. Since there is no way they can accurately predict the long term effects of this new industry we must assume the worst. That the river's upstream pollutants caused by the data center will cause another environmental disaster floating right down to Missoula. The vibrations from for their machines will disrupt bee and bird migrations and have an adverse effect on all animal species. The river is a part of our community and we must not allow this project to continue.