Bonner Data Center

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.

I am writing to provide formal feedback regarding the Special Exception application for the proposed data center at the Bonner Mill site.

​While the "rough grounds" of this industrial site have a complex history, this new phase of development offers a unique opportunity to create a permanent gift for the Bonner community. Rather than treating this project as an isolated "box," I am proposing that a condition of the Special Exception permit include Thermal Integration with the Bonner School and surrounding infrastructure.

​As we have seen in successful international models—specifically in Finland where data center "waste heat" is used to warm entire districts—this technology can function as a community hearth rather than a resource drain.

​To ensure this project is a functional neighbor, I suggest the following requirements be integrated into the site plan:

​Thermal "Stub Out": The facility should include a secondary heat exchange loop (stub out) at the property line to allow for future connection to the school district’s heating system. ​Infrastructure Specifications: Any exterior heat-transfer piping should utilize double-walled, insulated piping suitable for glycol-based thermal fluid, ensuring both efficiency and environmental safety for the nearby Blackfoot River ecosystem. ​Integrated Utility Service: By capturing the 24/7 waste heat from the servers, the facility could provide a low-cost, sustainable heat source for the Bonner School and potentially for snow-melt systems on local pedestrian walkways, increasing safety and reducing taxpayer utility burdens.

​The goal is to move from a "transactional" industrial presence to an "integrated" community asset that supports our local infrastructure for generations to come.

​I have already discussed this vision with the Bonner School administration, and we believe this is the proper way to "clear the floor" for a responsible, high-tech future in our community.

Paul R

This is extremely unsustainable given the ongoing drought that the west faces. I strongly oppose this proposition! We do not need more data centers.

I am strongly opposed to this project. The environmental impact is so large and provides little to zero benefit to the public. Long-term, I would argue it actually provides a negative impact to the community.

I strongly oppose this proposal. Not only are the environmental impacts abhorrent, but this does not benefit our community whatsoever; in fact, it will harm it. In a time where community and resource protection are of the utmost importance, this proposal is a slap in the face to Missoula residents.

An emphatic NO.The I am concerned about rising electricity rates caused by data centers, the enormous water use that data centers require. And about public handouts in the form of tax breaks that are going to data center developers, and that data centers don’t bring meaningful economic development, especially in the form of jobs.

I strongly oppose this project for all the many environmental impacts that inevitably come with the operation of a data center like this.

Being a sovereign citizen of the Crow nation with family ties to the Blackfeet people who have been here since time immemorial and a resident near where the data center will be put my concern is the noise, the potential fire hazards, the construction and traffic it will bring to the community. As well as what the effects that the light pollution, and the constant hum will do to our neighborhood animals and dogs. There are serious concerns for my health and well being for this data center being put in Bonner. This violates our Montana Constitution, and Hellgate treaty rights.

I strongly oppose this project. My concerns are the environmental impacts and water consumption of this proposed data center. I am concerned about the nuisance, noise, vibrations, and other unanticipated impacts of a large data center so close to residents. This project will destroy the history of a Montana mill town and will contribute to the erosion of Montana’s identity. This proposal states it will have minimal staff operating the data center which means this will not generate more jobs. This project will not generate revenue for local residents and will instead significantly decrease the property value of local homeowners in Bonner. Strongly oppose.