Data Center Interim Zoning

Please approve the Data Center Interim Zoning Pause and consider making it permanent. The county needs to think of the citizens and not the oligarchs who will make money from these data centers. The negatives of data centers on the environment and the communities they impact are not outweighed by the positives. Actually, what are the positives for our county? A few county tax dollars will not mean anything once Missoula county is ruined by data centers and the companies that are trying to make a buck extracting our power and water. We need to learn from the past, extractive industries have left many Montana communities with a mess after they have taken all the riches and left to destroy another place.

Dear Missoula Reps- Just say NO- no community that has relinquished control to these projects is a happier, better place.
A neighbor and voter~
Bei Ruetten

Regardless if data centers are an allowable use under zoning laws, the Montana state constitution guarantees every individual the "right to a clean and healthful environment." This right is woven into the fabric of our state. Data centers pose a significant threat to this right.

Removed by moderator.

Dear Missoula County Commissioners,

I am extraordinarily grateful and proud of our community for coming together to stand against the now-withdrawn proposal for a data center in Bonner. But big tech firms are still itching to immeasurably damage our community with data center proposals.

These wealthy executives don't live here— they don't have to live with the incessant noise pollution, skyrocketing utility bills, and ZERO PERMANENT JOBS created by these data centers.

And that's not to mention just how bad AI has already been for our country. Just read about the alarming stories AI-induced psychosis. Or the chatbots giving depressed teenagers exact instructions on how to commit suicide. Or CSAM images being created every minute by these bots. AI is a cancer on society— and I have no interest in inviting this carcinogen into our beautiful backyard. I sincerely hope you agree.

Please listen to your constituents and approve the moratorium on data centers in Missoula County. Thank you so much for your time.

Dear Missoula County Commissioners,

Please approve the data center moratorium.

I believe it is essential that we protect our natural resources (water, power, and land) for what is truly valuable and important- health, happiness, and the preservation of nature and the peace it provides to all.

Furthermore, I ask you to consider that building a massive AI data center today is a high-stakes gamble against the pace of innovation. Because construction takes years, but hardware cycles move in months, we face a 'Commitment-Volatility Trap': by the time these facilities come online, their rigid cooling, power, and memory architectures are often already economically obsolete. It is effectively locking billions in capital into fixed-cost anchors, missing out on the flexibility of modular, cloud-based, or edge-native solutions that can actually pivot as the technology evolves. It’s a strategy that bets on long-term stagnation in a sector defined by radical, rapid change.

Thank you for considering the long term good of all and not the short term profit promise.

“County staff are recommending that the proposed administrative pause (also referred to as a moratorium) would not apply to the proposal for a 7 MW data center in Bonner (if a complete special exception application has been received prior to adoption of the interim zoning), because the developer has already started the application process.”

This sounds as though KRAMBU must submit a *complete* application prior to July 9th if they hope to remain exempt from interim zoning and a moratorium. I hope I am reading that correctly. If I am, I strongly support the moratorium including KRAMBU should their application status remain incomplete.

If the reason for a moratorium is a public health emergency, an existing and insufficient application from a company does not erase a public health emergency for Bonner residents.

As a highly concerned Bonner resident, we need this interim zoning and moratorium, and we need to not roll out a red carpet for an incompetent company and give them allowances.

Thank you for mandating they *at least* have a complete application.

My partner was born and raised here, and we recently moved to Missoula for the incredible quality of life, access to nature, and livability for raising a family. It's devastating to see these big tech corporations try to ram their way into beautiful communities all over rural and working class America, just to profit off our data. And meanwhile they'll pollute and drain our river, pump diesel into the air, wreak havoc on the wildlife – all in a residential neighborhood and across the street from an elementary school!

I applaud this proposal for a moratorium on data center development, and strongly advocate for including the Bonner data center in the moratorium. They have yet to submit a complete application, failing to respect our laws and our basic requirements for developing in our county.

Please pass the interim zoning laws and include the Bonner project in it! We're counting on you and we're getting organized, so that we can have a voice in who uses our resources.

Respectfully,
Nora Boyd

I am writing to express my strong concerns regarding the Special Exception request for the proposed Krambu data center at the former Bonner mill site. While the developer argues that the project offers a benefit by adaptively reusing an existing industrial footprint without expanding the physical building size, the unique, continuous operational profile of a modern high-performance data center presents severe, unmitigated impacts that fundamentally conflict with our community's character and public health.

Under Section 11.6.D of the Missoula County Zoning Regulations, a Special Exception must prove that the use will not substantially injure the value of adjoining property and is compatible with the neighborhood. This proposal fails to meet those standards in the following critical areas:

* Continuous Noise and Vibration Impacts (Criteria i):Unlike traditional industrial uses that operate during standard shifts and shut down overnight, data centers run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our current county regulations are explicitly designed for intermittent, fixed sources of noise. They completely fail to account for the relentless, low-frequency, and tonal hum generated by massive cooling infrastructure. This constant, unceasing noise poses a direct threat to the quality of life and property values of nearby residential neighbors.

* Unprecedented Resource Consumption (Criteria c & f):Scaling this facility from an initial 7 MW up to 29 MW represents an immense strain on our regional energy infrastructure. To put this in perspective, a facility of this scale draws a massive share of power compared to entire townships. Furthermore, the continuous water requirements for cooling can severely impact local water quantity and quality through thermal discharge, a risk that our existing, crypto-focused zoning guidelines are entirely insufficient to regulate.

* Air Quality and Public Health Risks (Criteria i):Because data centers require 100% continuous uptime, they rely heavily on large-scale industrial backup diesel generators to sustain their full operating load during grid interruptions. These generators emit concentrated nitrogen oxides and diesel particulate matter. Introducing acute, localized air pollution into the Bonner area is an unacceptable risk to community health.

The burden to demonstrate compliance with these criteria falls squarely on the applicant, not on the County. The fact that Krambu has submitted five separate applications that have all been deemed insufficient by county planning staff proves that the developer cannot adequately mitigate these 24/7 environmental stressors.

Missoula County is currently considering an interim zoning pause because our current regulations leave massive gaps regarding modern data center scale, water consumption, and backup generation. Moving forward with this project before those robust, protective guidelines are firmly established would place an irreversible burden on the Bonner community.

I urge the Board to deny this Special Exception. The minor benefit of filling an empty building does not outweigh the severe, continuous, and unmitigated impacts on Bonner's air, water, and neighborhood peace.

I am writing to express my strong concerns regarding the Special Exception request for the proposed Krambu data center at the former Bonner mill site. While the developer argues that the project offers a benefit by adaptively reusing an existing industrial footprint without expanding the physical building size, the unique, continuous operational profile of a modern high-performance data center presents severe, unmitigated impacts that fundamentally conflict with our community's character and public health.

Under Section 11.6.D of the Missoula County Zoning Regulations, a Special Exception must prove that the use will not substantially injure the value of adjoining property and is compatible with the neighborhood. This proposal fails to meet those standards in the following critical areas:

* Continuous Noise and Vibration Impacts (Criteria i):Unlike traditional industrial uses that operate during standard shifts and shut down overnight, data centers run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our current county regulations are explicitly designed for intermittent, fixed sources of noise. They completely fail to account for the relentless, low-frequency, and tonal hum generated by massive cooling infrastructure. This constant, unceasing noise poses a direct threat to the quality of life and property values of nearby residential neighbors.

* Unprecedented Resource Consumption (Criteria c & f):Scaling this facility from an initial 7 MW up to 29 MW represents an immense strain on our regional energy infrastructure. To put this in perspective, a facility of this scale draws a massive share of power compared to entire townships. Furthermore, the continuous water requirements for cooling can severely impact local water quantity and quality through thermal discharge, a risk that our existing, crypto-focused zoning guidelines are entirely insufficient to regulate.

* Air Quality and Public Health Risks (Criteria i):Because data centers require 100% continuous uptime, they rely heavily on large-scale industrial backup diesel generators to sustain their full operating load during grid interruptions. These generators emit concentrated nitrogen oxides and diesel particulate matter. Introducing acute, localized air pollution into the Bonner area is an unacceptable risk to community health.

The burden to demonstrate compliance with these criteria falls squarely on the applicant, not on the County. The fact that Krambu has submitted five separate applications that have all been deemed insufficient by county planning staff proves that the developer cannot adequately mitigate these 24/7 environmental stressors.

Missoula County is currently considering an interim zoning pause because our current regulations leave massive gaps regarding modern data center scale, water consumption, and backup generation. Moving forward with this project before those robust, protective guidelines are firmly established would place an irreversible burden on the Bonner community.

I urge the Board to deny this Special Exception. The minor benefit of filling an empty building does not outweigh the severe, continuous, and unmitigated impacts on Bonner's air, water, and neighborhood peace.

I strongly support placing a moratorium on any new data center development in Missoula County. Our community could greatly benefit from having more time to conduct a full environmental impact study to ensure that any future development aligns with our shared values (for example, for clean air and water) as well as our need for affordable and reliable energy.

I was born in Missoula. I was gone for many years from Montana and moved back in the year 2000. Since then I have lived all over this great state. This country is my heart beat. The rivers, the mountains, the lakes, the wide open spaces. I demand a moratorium on all data centers and especially the Bonner Mill site. I demand a stop to all development as it pertains to AI, data centers, and anything related to our natural resources and this industry. This industry is a scam and disastrous for our planet. Not my beautiful world view. No way. HANDS OF MONTANA!

Overview of the Bonner data center proposal and why it needs to be included in the pause:

The proposed Bonner data center would repurpose the former mill/UFP Edge building in the Bonner Industrial Park, directly adjacent to the Blackfoot River and within 500 feet of residential properties. It is proposed by Krambu, an Idaho-based data center company, with power use starting around \(7\) MW and potentially expanding to \(29\) MW, operating 24/7 with cooling towers outside the building. [montananewsroom.com](https://montananewsroom.com/missoula-county-weighs-data-center-proposal/) [Montana Free Press](https://montanafreepress.org/2026/05/21/missoula-panel-highlights-data-center-concerns/)

The site previously hosted a cryptocurrency mine that generated significant noise complaints from nearby residents and helped spur Missoula County’s stricter zoning rules for data centers and crypto operations. [Montana Public Radio](https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-03-27/bonner-data-center-proposal-draws-concerns-over-noise-power-demands) [Cowboy State Daily](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/04/07/where-a-river-runs-through-it-inside-the-hunt-for-data-center-sites/)

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Blackfoot River: flows, water quality, and fish habitat

1. Flow impacts

Krambu and the site’s property manager have stated that the facility would use onsite wells and a closed‑loop cooling system, not direct withdrawals from the Blackfoot River, and that water use would be “not enough” to affect the river. [Montana Public Radio](https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-03-27/bonner-data-center-proposal-draws-concerns-over-noise-power-demands) [Cowboy State Daily](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/04/07/where-a-river-runs-through-it-inside-the-hunt-for-data-center-sites/)

However, key concerns remain:

- **Groundwater–surface water connection:**
Even if water is drawn from wells, those wells may be hydraulically connected to the Blackfoot and its alluvial aquifer. Pumping can reduce baseflows, especially in late summer when trout habitat is most vulnerable.

- **Cumulative impacts:**
The Blackfoot has already endured historic mining damage and required hundreds of millions of dollars in restoration to recover its blue‑ribbon trout fishery. Adding new industrial water demands—even “modest” ones—risks eroding those gains over time. [Field & Stream](https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/conservation/blackfoot-river-threatened-by-gold-mine-and-data-center)

- **Drought and climate stress:**
Warmer summers and lower snowpack can reduce flows; any additional draw on connected groundwater can compound low‑flow conditions that stress fish and water quality.

You can reasonably argue that **no large industrial facility relying on wells near the river should be approved without a rigorous hydrogeologic study** showing:

- The degree of connection between the wells and the Blackfoot.
- Modeled impacts on late‑season baseflows under drought scenarios.
- Binding limits on total water use tied to ecological flow thresholds.

2. Water quality

Even with a closed‑loop cooling system, several water‑quality risks deserve scrutiny:

- **Thermal pollution risk:**
If any discharge or blow‑down water is ever released (now or in future expansions), elevated temperatures or chemical additives could affect aquatic life.

- **Spills and stormwater:**
Large electrical and mechanical infrastructure increases the risk of spills (coolants, oils, fuels) and contaminated stormwater runoff reaching the river corridor.

- **Construction and land disturbance:**
Additional infrastructure (cooling towers, transmission lines, access roads) can increase sedimentation and alter riparian vegetation, which is critical for shading and bank stability.

Given the Blackfoot’s status as a nationally renowned trout river and the decades of restoration investment, you can argue that **any new industrial use in its corridor must meet a “no degradation” standard for water quality**, with:

- Strict stormwater controls and spill‑prevention plans.
- Prohibitions on any direct or indirect discharge to the river.
- Independent monitoring of groundwater and surface water quality.

3. Fish habitat

The Blackfoot supports thriving populations of brown, rainbow, and native cutthroat trout and is widely recognized as a blue‑ribbon fishery. [Field & Stream](https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/conservation/blackfoot-river-threatened-by-gold-mine-and-data-center) [Cowboy State Daily](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/04/07/where-a-river-runs-through-it-inside-the-hunt-for-data-center-sites/)

Fish habitat concerns include:

- **Low‑flow stress:**
Trout depend on cold, well‑oxygenated water. Reduced baseflows and warmer temperatures can shrink usable habitat, increase competition, and heighten disease risk.

- **Riparian corridor integrity:**
Industrial noise, lighting, and increased traffic can degrade the river corridor, affecting wildlife movement, nesting birds, and the overall “wild” character that supports both ecology and recreation.

- **Legacy risk:**
The Blackfoot’s history of catastrophic mining damage shows how quickly a single industrial use can cause long‑term harm. Approving a new high‑demand facility in the corridor without exhaustive safeguards repeats that pattern of risk.

You can frame this as an **ethical obligation**: after decades of public and private investment to restore the Blackfoot, local governments must avoid new uses that could incrementally undermine that recovery.

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Surrounding residential community: noise and property values

1. Noise pollution

Residents previously experienced significant noise from the cryptocurrency mine at the same site, described as “very, very noisy” and “driving people nuts,” which helped trigger Missoula County’s current zoning rules targeting data center and crypto noise and light pollution. [Montana Public Radio](https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-03-27/bonner-data-center-proposal-draws-concerns-over-noise-power-demands) [Cowboy State Daily](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/04/07/where-a-river-runs-through-it-inside-the-hunt-for-data-center-sites/)

Key points:

- **24/7 operation:**
Krambu’s application indicates the data center would run continuously, with outdoor cooling towers up to 15–17 feet high. [Montana Free Press](https://montanafreepress.org/2026/05/21/missoula-panel-highlights-data-center-concerns/)
Continuous fan and mechanical noise can be especially disruptive at night and in quiet rural communities.

- **Proximity to homes and school:**
The site is within 500 feet of residential property boundaries, and the community includes an elementary school nearby. Even if past school disruption was reported as minimal, residents’ lived experience of noise is a legitimate land‑use concern. [Montana Public Radio](https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-03-27/bonner-data-center-proposal-draws-concerns-over-noise-power-demands) [Montana Free Press](https://montanafreepress.org/2026/05/21/missoula-panel-highlights-data-center-concerns/)

You can reasonably request:

- Independent noise modeling for worst‑case scenarios (full build‑out to 29 MW, all cooling towers operating).
- Enforceable decibel limits at property boundaries, with penalties and mitigation requirements.
- Restrictions on nighttime noise and backup systems that don’t increase acoustic impacts.

2. Property values and community character

While property‑value impacts are often debated, several grounded concerns apply here:

- **Industrialization of a river corridor:**
A large, 24/7 data center with cooling towers, transmission infrastructure, and security lighting can change the perceived character of Bonner—from a small river community near a famous trout stream to an industrial energy hub.

- **Amenity loss:**
Noise, visual impacts, and perceived environmental risk can reduce the desirability of nearby homes, especially for buyers seeking quiet, scenic, recreation‑oriented properties.

- **Asymmetry of benefits and burdens:**
Economic benefits (profits, data services) largely accrue to out‑of‑state or out‑of‑community interests, while local residents bear the environmental, aesthetic, and risk burdens. This imbalance is already being flagged by regional advocates who warn that communities may “pay the financial and environmental cost, with the economic benefits largely accruing to out‑of‑state tech billionaires.” [Montana Free Press](https://montanafreepress.org/2026/05/21/missoula-panel-highlights-data-center-concerns/) [Field & Stream](https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/conservation/blackfoot-river-threatened-by-gold-mine-and-data-center)

You can frame this as a **fairness and equity issue**: local homeowners and renters should not see their quality of life and property values diminished to subsidize an industry whose gains mostly leave the valley.

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**Draft Public Comment for Missoula County – Interim Zoning on Data Centers (July 9 Meeting)**

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed interim zoning that would pause new data center development in Missoula County. I strongly support adopting this pause, and I urge the Commission to extend it beyond one year and broaden its scope to include the Bonner proposal. Our community deserves the time and legal clarity necessary to ensure that any future development aligns with our environmental values, our long‑term land‑use goals, and—critically—our obligation to protect affordable and reliable energy for residents.

**Legal Concerns**
Missoula County has both the authority and the responsibility under Montana law to regulate land use in ways that protect public health, safety, and welfare. Interim zoning is specifically intended for situations where rapid development threatens to outpace the community’s ability to craft appropriate regulations. Data centers—large industrial facilities with extraordinary electrical and water demands—clearly meet that threshold.

Additionally, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is mandated to protect ratepayers and ensure just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory energy rates. Yet current proceedings involving NorthWestern Energy’s proposed merger and expansion strategy appear to prioritize large industrial customers, including data centers, over residential affordability. This raises serious concerns about whether the PSC is fulfilling its statutory obligations. Missoula County should not allow new high‑demand industrial development until the regulatory landscape is stable, transparent, and demonstrably protective of residents.

**Environmental Concerns**
Data centers are among the most resource‑intensive industrial uses in the country. They require:

- **Massive electrical loads**, often equivalent to thousands of homes.
- **Significant water withdrawals** for cooling, which can strain aquifers and surface water systems—especially during drought cycles that are becoming more frequent in Montana.
- **Large land footprints**, often incompatible with surrounding rural or residential uses.

Without strong environmental safeguards, these facilities risk degrading local ecosystems, accelerating water scarcity, and increasing wildfire vulnerability through expanded electrical infrastructure.

**Ethical and Community Impacts**
Missoula County residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about the long‑term consequences of unchecked data center development. Ethically, it is unacceptable to allow an industry with such outsized resource demands to proceed without clear, enforceable protections for the people who live here.

A pause is not anti‑technology. It is pro‑community, pro‑transparency, and pro‑responsible planning.

Residents deserve assurance that:

- Data centers will **not increase electricity rates** for households or small businesses.
- They will **not compromise water availability** for agriculture, wildlife, or residential use.
- They will **not degrade land quality** or undermine existing community plans.
- They will **not receive preferential treatment** over local ratepayers or small businesses.

**Why Bonner Must Be Included**
Although the current interim zoning proposal excludes the Bonner data center already in progress, this exclusion undermines the purpose of the pause. The impacts of data centers do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. Bonner’s development will affect Missoula County’s electrical grid, water systems, and land‑use patterns. Excluding it creates an uneven regulatory environment and leaves residents without a comprehensive plan for managing cumulative impacts.

I urge the Commission to revise the interim zoning to include Bonner or, at minimum, initiate a parallel review process that ensures the same environmental and ratepayer protections apply.

**Request to the Commission**
I respectfully ask Missoula County to:

1. **Adopt the interim zoning pause immediately.**
2. **Extend the pause beyond one year** to allow for a complete, science‑based regulatory framework.
3. **Include the Bonner data center proposal** within the scope of review.
4. **Develop enforceable regulations** guaranteeing no negative impact on residential energy rates, water resources, or land quality.
5. **Require full transparency** from NorthWestern Energy and any future developers regarding projected electrical load, water use, and long‑term infrastructure costs.

Missoula County has an opportunity to lead with foresight, fairness, and environmental stewardship. A strong, extended pause is the responsible path forward.

Thank you for your consideration.

I want to express the absolute necessity of interim zoning to give appropriate time for public education as well as thorough impact evaluation on the impacts of data centers. Given the potentially devastating consequences for NOT thoroughly evaluating the impacts of data centers on air, water, noise, vibration, heat, energy use and the well-being of human and other-than-human communities, a pause before permitting ANY such project is the LEAST that can be done.

I emphasize that this zoning absolutely SHOULD include the proposed Bonner site, both for its proximity to the community of Bonner, and for its location on one of our most dear shared community assets (the Blackfoot River).

Missoula has been lauded by groups around the state for its "forward-thinking" on matters concerning public well-being and protection of our environment, and I would like to suggest that every action that it take regarding this new gold rush/boom cycle could well serve as an example for other communities in this struggle.

I do not support data centers. They are detrimental to the environment and the communities they are built in.

I am totally against this Data center as it is too close to a city and will have environmental impacts. There are health/medical impacts as well. Missoula and Bonner have been doing fine without this data center and we do it need it.
AND….. why did we spend millions of dollars to clean up that portion of the river to allow it to be used by a data center!

This is sad when a community is being sold out by commissioners in control who are trying to pacify community members saying they are going pause on data centers but continue approval process for Bonner Data Center it seems they already gave approval. At the cost of are Water, Air , are peace of Montana and electrical service and our wildlife.
But once the process has gone thru there will be no going back.
It's too bad these Commissioners can't be smart enough to learn from all the other states Data Centers that they have regrets they let thru But it is too late. Sad.

I strongly support Missoula County adopting interim zoning to place a temporary pause on data center development while updated regulations are developed. The county's own materials acknowledge that current zoning was written for cryptocurrency mining operations and has significant remaining gaps when applied to modern AI data centers, including water use, backup generation, noise, heat, and air quality. That is a clear and reasonable basis for a pause.

I am asking the commissioners to include the proposed Bonner Mill data center within the scope of this interim zoning.

The stated rationale for excluding Bonner is that the developer, Krambu, has already started the application process. But starting a process is not the same as demonstrating compliance. Krambu has submitted five Special Exception applications. The most recent, Application Number 5, was deemed incomplete by the county on June 12, 2026, with 29 separate deficiencies identified, including internal contradictions in the application's own water use figures, an undisclosed evaporative backstop system, an incorrect claim that Legionella risk management is not required, and a request to defer backup generator details until after approval. No lease has been signed between Krambu and the property owner. No power purchase agreement or renewable energy plan has been secured.

If the county believes an emergency exists that justifies pausing new data center development countywide in order to protect water, air quality, and public health, that same emergency exists at the Bonner Mill site. The Blackfoot River, the residential neighborhood, the elementary school approximately 200 yards away, and the KettleHouse Amphitheater and Brewing are not protected simply because an incomplete application happened to be filed first.

Excluding Bonner from this moratorium sends the message that being first in line matters more than being right. I am asking the commissioners to apply the same precautionary standard to Bonner that this interim zoning is meant to establish for the rest of the county.

Thank you for considering this comment.

As a lifelong Montanan, I am sickened by the changes happening in our state. What was once seen as sacred and beautiful is being stripped down to dollars. If this interim zoning is not passed, a door will be opened to anyone who wants to plunder our resources. Data Centers have no place in MT.