A company called Quantica wants to build a data center covering 5,000 acres of ranchland just south of Broadview, Montana, a town of only a few hundred people. Data centers this size run thousands of servers around the clock, which means massive electricity use and huge amounts of water for cooling. Residents worry that a project this size could strain the local power grid, drain water resources, and permanently change the rural character of the area.

The Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners has the power to pause this project while a fairer process plays out. Montana law allows county commissioners to create emergency interim zoning to stop development temporarily. Commissioner Mark Morse has questioned whether the county can use that power, but Brian Miller, an attorney representing the local group Yellowstone County Voices, says the law is clear: "County commissioners may establish interim zoning districts."

Residents already tried to force a public vote on this project. They gathered enough signatures, but missed the filing deadline after county officials gave them the wrong date, a mistake that was not their fault but is now costing them their voice.

The commissioners are set to discuss the emergency zoning request at their August 27 meeting in Billings. Before that happens, they need to hear that the people of Broadview deserve a real say in whether a massive industrial project reshapes their water, power, and land.

Sign the petition now to urge Yellowstone County Commissioners to pause the Broadview data center before construction moves forward without a public vote.