Bonner Data Center

AI data centers provide no benefit to the community. Just say no.

I strongly oppose the approval of this data center project. It is a strain on resources and does not bring in any significant benefits to the local community. The long term effects of these centers on natural resources, wildlife, and public health are under researched and potentially pose significant harm. The potential and known risks wildly outweigh any posed benefit. Keep data centers out of Bonner.

I find it pretty incredulous that this company is taking QA's and wants public buy in when they can't even offer specifics. Is Krambu/this AI company aware that they will need to acquire water rights to use any water from a nearby source? How do we know they have done their full due diligence to understand the true feasibility of this center? I seriously doubt it and frankly it seems like they know it is not feasible in these ways and don't want to confirm. Until they can provide quantitative calculations for prospective water use and other factors, there is simply no way to support this.

The existing tenant gave notice they are moving out. The mill manager said that he has contacted numerous companies and industries looking for a replacement manufacturer. The wood products industry is dead. Our local timber is not suitable for dimensional lumber. The paper industry is way down and not seeking chips (beetle kill). Manufacturers want to locate in areas of much higher population, in areas that are close to customers transportation costs are significant. Montana is not close to anywhere. Wages in Montana are not enough to meet the local housing costs and the cost of living. This current date center interest is the only interest in this 240,000 sq. ft. space. Jeannie Dixon said that this use fits the zoning. The Tenant prospect answered the questions about water usage and stated that they use a closed loop system. In addition, the mill does not have a discharge permit. No wastewater would be discharged into the Blackfoot. E waste will be disposed of subject to Missoula County regulation. The electricity used will be replaced per code as well. The tenant will be hiring many local businesses and citizens to construct the data center. New skilled long-term jobs will be created as well. The cost to build a data center is significant and will be subject to property tax and business equipment tax to the benefit of Missoula County. A vacant building does not offer any benefit and would negatively impact the mill site and the other tenants there. This is an opportunity that should be positively considered.

The existing Tenant gave notice, they are moving out. The mill manager stated that he reached put to many industries, but has not received any interest in this space except for this data center. The problem for manufacturing is that , we do not have high enough wage levels to meet the cost of housing and the cost of living. A vacant 240,000 sq ft does not do the community any good. That space has to be leased in order for the mill site to be viable. The data center company answered questions about water (a closed loop system, no discharge), noise (below Missoula County standards), e waste, etc. The county said that the property is zoned for a data center. They will replace the energy they use. Missoula county stands to recieve a substantial amount in property tax and business equpment tax, which will help the community. I think we should support this business.

While this may seem like a solution for issues in our community, this is at best a short term band-aid and will do nothing to address the root of those problems. The long term effects of this data center will be disastrous, other communities are already seeing the negative impacts on the environment and the health and wellbeing of the community and I cannot understand why we would choose to put one in our home knowing that.

I disagree with this project and think there is much more meaningful way to create jobs for our community!

Do not build your environmental hacksaw in our town. Your useless product does nothing but ruin lives. Do not destroy our water and wildlife for money you do not need. You will make living in Bonner unbearable while destroying a beautiful environment.

Stay away from Montana. We value our wildlife and being able to float the rivers and lakes. We do not want you here.

A datacenter this close to a residential neighborhood is absolutely unacceptable. There are serious health risks to our community members. A datacenter also won’t bring in more than a handful of jobs as the expense of raising our infrastructure costs. We don’t want it!

As a Bonner resident, and Mama, I do not want this across the street from my house. Sound waves we cannot hear still have an effect on the body. If it's not supposed to be in a residential area why would they put it directly across the street from a historical residential neighborhood? It just doesn't make sense. Keep it somewhere that people dont live and wont be effected.

This is absolutely unacceptable. Datacenters cannot be located this close to residential neighborhoods. The high amount of noise pollution will cause the citizens in the surrounding areas to suffer from chronic illness. It will additionally negatively impact our local wildlife. This is not ok. You must not allow this to happen.

Power bills are up as it is, we just wrapped up a winter with barely any snow, and the potential health impacts of infrasound emitted from data centers are legitimately terrifying. The most positive thing that could come out of this is a handful of local construction jobs to build the facility. Once that's done, the only people who benefit financially from an AI data center are the people who own the land and equipment, give or take a maintenance specialist or two flown in from out of state.

And for what? So some 22-year-old in Silicon Valley can vibe code a face-scanning app and sell that data to the feds? Bonner and the rest of Missoula County deserve better than that.

Data centers do not create long-term economic benefits for the communities in which they operate, they extract valuable resources, and they contribute to pollution, among other negative impacts. I would urge the Board to reject any data center proposal regardless of location, but especially so close to a residential area the choice is clear. Even with the cryptocurrency zoning regulations, the harms far outweigh the benefits.

I strongly oppose the approval of this data center project so close to a residential neighborhood, a school, and a vulnerable river environment. There are countless other businesses that could go into this warehouse space that would better serve our community without the added risk and environmental blight that AI data centers have a track record of causing.

This data center is in no way worth it. Don’t let it happen.

This is not acceptable use of our resources. Unless they are paying every citizen for use of our lands and water and electricity we do not need any data centers.. at all... No This is just bad planning for an even worse reason...

I am absolutely 100% against this proposal! I am against data centers anywhere in Montana, let alone in this county! I cannot imagine the damage this would cause. NO!

Removed by moderator.

This project will add nothing to our community. AI and the infrastructure it requires is inherently exploitative and extractive, and will only strain our resources. A lack of transparency and inflated (or entirely fabricated) promises are the industry standard.