On October 6, the Missoula City Council closed the zoning loophole that let data centers move into industrial zones without public review. Councilor Kristen Jordan has announced she will bring a full moratorium forward in the coming weeks. The City Attorney has said there is good justification for a pause.

We are asking the Mayor and Council to follow through.

Why a moratorium matters

Data centers are not typical industrial tenants. A single facility can draw tens of millions of gallons of water per year for cooling and pull 20 to 100 megawatts of electricity around the clock. Missoula’s water system and power grid were not sized for that demand. Without a pause, the city could approve projects before it has any rules in place to limit their impact on water, power bills, noise, air quality, and property values.

Our neighbors have already moved. Kootenai County, Idaho passed a moratorium to protect its aquifer, then adopted permanent regulations and lifted it. The result: a ban on data centers over the aquifer and a conditional use permit requirement for all others. Larimer County, Colorado has a moratorium in effect now. Fifteen states have proposed pauses in the past year.

What we are asking

1. Pass a moratorium on new data center approvals for the City of Missoula.
2. Set a clear timeline and specific conditions for lifting it — tied to adopting regulations that address water use, energy demand, and community impact.
3. Hold meaningful public process before any moratorium is lifted.

Sign this petition to tell Mayor Davis and the City Council: Missoula needs time to set the rules before a data center gets approved.