Protect Montana's lands from AI data center development
The Issue
A Petition to Protect Montana's Public Lands, Farmland, and Water from AI Data Center Development
Statement of Purpose
Montana, the Last Best Place and one of America's last wild frontiers, holds a special place in our hearts. As Montanans and friends of this land, we know firsthand the unmatched beauty and natural resources our state holds — from wheat fields and ranchland to cold rivers and mountain backcountry.
We, the people of Montana and friends of the Last Best Place, call on our state and local elected officials to halt the unchecked development of hyperscale AI data centers across our state. Montana is the best state in the West — and it does not deserve to have its ecosystem stripped, its water drained, and its farmland paved over to serve the data-processing needs of some of the world's largest corporations.
We are not against technology or innovation. We are for protecting Montana — our communities, our family farms, our wildlife, and our water — for present and future generations, and for insisting that any new development truly lives within those limits.
We ask that no new AI data center permits be approved until transparent, enforceable regulations are in place to protect our water, our energy rates, our public lands, and our agricultural heritage.
The Threat
Montana is under threat. NorthWestern Energy has signed letters of intent with data center companies totaling over 1,400 megawatts of electricity — nearly double the power currently used by all of NorthWestern's existing Montana customers combined. Proposals like the Quantica project in Broadview, MT, would consume up to 7,235 MW of power and use an estimated 5 million gallons of water per day for cooling. That is water our farmers, our wildlife, and our communities depend on — especially in a drought-prone, semi-arid landscape that already faces recurring water shortages.
These are not the small data centers that have existed in Montana for decades. These are hyperscale facilities built for a single purpose — artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency — and they operate on a completely different scale of environmental impact.
Left unchecked, these facilities could turn living landscapes — farms, prairies, and open spaces — into industrial zones of concrete, fences, and noise. As we pave over precious farmland and strain our aquifers, we risk losing not only open space but key pieces of Montana's culture and way of life.
Your support can make a difference. By signing this petition, you are asking for a halt on AI data center development until comprehensive environmental assessments are conducted and more sustainable practices are in place. Help us safeguard Montana’s future and preserve it as the iconic state we cherish. Sign now to show your support for Montana's farms, water, and the way of life we know and love.
What Montanans Can Do to Stop AI Data Center Development
The petition is just the beginning. Here are concrete actions every Montanan can take to push our elected officials to protect our land, water, and way of life.
Before it’s too late; Take action Montanans:
1. Contact the Governor's Office
Governor Greg Gianforte has the power to direct state agencies and signal priorities. Call or write directly:
Phone: 855-318-1330 (toll free) or 406-444-3111
Email: governor@mt.gov
Mail: Governor Greg Gianforte, P.O. Box 200801, Helena, MT 59620-0801
Online: governor.mt.gov/Contact
Ask him to support a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale AI data centers until enforceable regulations are in place.
2. Contact Your State Legislators
Find your specific state senator and representative using the district lookup tool at leg.mt.gov. Click a legislator's name on the roster to find their individual contact page.
Legislature Information Desk: 406-444-4800
During session: Use the Montana Legislative Public Participation Portal to send messages, submit written testimony, and testify remotely via Zoom.
Outside of session: Contact legislators directly through the address and email listed on their individual webpages.
Mail your senator: Senator [Name], Montana Senate, PO Box 200500, Helena, MT 59620-0500
Mail your representative: Representative [Name], Montana House of Representatives, PO Box 200400, Helena, MT 59620-0400
Tip from the Legislature itself: Personal letters carry more weight than petitions. Form letters and petitions don't have the same impact as personal, informed opinions. Put it in your own words, be brief, identify bills by number and title, and address a specific legislator — not the entire Legislature.
3. Contact the Montana Public Service Commission
The PSC oversees utilities like NorthWestern Energy — the company signing secret contracts with data center developers. Commissioners are elected from 5 districts. Find your commissioner and contact them directly.
Phone: 1-800-646-6150
Mail: Montana Public Service Commission, PO Box 202601, Helena, MT 59620-2601
Online: psc.mt.gov
Ask the PSC to reject special-rate contracts for data centers and protect existing ratepayers from footing the bill for new power infrastructure.
4. Submit Public Comment
When data center legislation or utility rate cases come up, you can submit written comments through the Public Participation Portal. Key tips:
The deadline to submit written comment is up until the committee votes on the bill.
Keep your remarks focused. Lead with your strongest points.
Share personal experience — how the issue impacts you, your farm, your community, your water. Personal testimony is the most effective kind.
Send your comments to your own elected officials too, so they know what matters to their voters.
5. Connect with Catalyst Montana
Catalyst Montana uplifts low-income and marginalized Montanans through community organizing, policy advocacy, research, and leadership development. They can help you get involved, find allies, and navigate the legislative process.
6. Talk to Your County Commissioners
County commissions approve local zoning and land-use decisions. Data center proposals often start at the county level. Show up to county commission meetings, submit public comment, and ask your commissioners to pass local moratoriums or impact requirements — following the lead of Missoula County, which already passed a temporary moratorium, and grassroots efforts in Cascade County and Yellowstone County.
7. Spread the Word
Share the petition. Talk to your neighbors, your farmers' market network, your church, your local coffee shop. The more Montanans who know what's happening — the secret contracts, the water consumption, the farmland at risk — the harder it is for officials to ignore.
Montana is the Last Best Place. Let's keep it that way.
Sources: Montana State Legislature — Contacting Legislators, ACLU of Montana — Engaging in the Legislative Process, Montana Public Service Commission, Montana Governor's Office
23
The Issue
A Petition to Protect Montana's Public Lands, Farmland, and Water from AI Data Center Development
Statement of Purpose
Montana, the Last Best Place and one of America's last wild frontiers, holds a special place in our hearts. As Montanans and friends of this land, we know firsthand the unmatched beauty and natural resources our state holds — from wheat fields and ranchland to cold rivers and mountain backcountry.
We, the people of Montana and friends of the Last Best Place, call on our state and local elected officials to halt the unchecked development of hyperscale AI data centers across our state. Montana is the best state in the West — and it does not deserve to have its ecosystem stripped, its water drained, and its farmland paved over to serve the data-processing needs of some of the world's largest corporations.
We are not against technology or innovation. We are for protecting Montana — our communities, our family farms, our wildlife, and our water — for present and future generations, and for insisting that any new development truly lives within those limits.
We ask that no new AI data center permits be approved until transparent, enforceable regulations are in place to protect our water, our energy rates, our public lands, and our agricultural heritage.
The Threat
Montana is under threat. NorthWestern Energy has signed letters of intent with data center companies totaling over 1,400 megawatts of electricity — nearly double the power currently used by all of NorthWestern's existing Montana customers combined. Proposals like the Quantica project in Broadview, MT, would consume up to 7,235 MW of power and use an estimated 5 million gallons of water per day for cooling. That is water our farmers, our wildlife, and our communities depend on — especially in a drought-prone, semi-arid landscape that already faces recurring water shortages.
These are not the small data centers that have existed in Montana for decades. These are hyperscale facilities built for a single purpose — artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency — and they operate on a completely different scale of environmental impact.
Left unchecked, these facilities could turn living landscapes — farms, prairies, and open spaces — into industrial zones of concrete, fences, and noise. As we pave over precious farmland and strain our aquifers, we risk losing not only open space but key pieces of Montana's culture and way of life.
Your support can make a difference. By signing this petition, you are asking for a halt on AI data center development until comprehensive environmental assessments are conducted and more sustainable practices are in place. Help us safeguard Montana’s future and preserve it as the iconic state we cherish. Sign now to show your support for Montana's farms, water, and the way of life we know and love.
What Montanans Can Do to Stop AI Data Center Development
The petition is just the beginning. Here are concrete actions every Montanan can take to push our elected officials to protect our land, water, and way of life.
Before it’s too late; Take action Montanans:
1. Contact the Governor's Office
Governor Greg Gianforte has the power to direct state agencies and signal priorities. Call or write directly:
Phone: 855-318-1330 (toll free) or 406-444-3111
Email: governor@mt.gov
Mail: Governor Greg Gianforte, P.O. Box 200801, Helena, MT 59620-0801
Online: governor.mt.gov/Contact
Ask him to support a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale AI data centers until enforceable regulations are in place.
2. Contact Your State Legislators
Find your specific state senator and representative using the district lookup tool at leg.mt.gov. Click a legislator's name on the roster to find their individual contact page.
Legislature Information Desk: 406-444-4800
During session: Use the Montana Legislative Public Participation Portal to send messages, submit written testimony, and testify remotely via Zoom.
Outside of session: Contact legislators directly through the address and email listed on their individual webpages.
Mail your senator: Senator [Name], Montana Senate, PO Box 200500, Helena, MT 59620-0500
Mail your representative: Representative [Name], Montana House of Representatives, PO Box 200400, Helena, MT 59620-0400
Tip from the Legislature itself: Personal letters carry more weight than petitions. Form letters and petitions don't have the same impact as personal, informed opinions. Put it in your own words, be brief, identify bills by number and title, and address a specific legislator — not the entire Legislature.
3. Contact the Montana Public Service Commission
The PSC oversees utilities like NorthWestern Energy — the company signing secret contracts with data center developers. Commissioners are elected from 5 districts. Find your commissioner and contact them directly.
Phone: 1-800-646-6150
Mail: Montana Public Service Commission, PO Box 202601, Helena, MT 59620-2601
Online: psc.mt.gov
Ask the PSC to reject special-rate contracts for data centers and protect existing ratepayers from footing the bill for new power infrastructure.
4. Submit Public Comment
When data center legislation or utility rate cases come up, you can submit written comments through the Public Participation Portal. Key tips:
The deadline to submit written comment is up until the committee votes on the bill.
Keep your remarks focused. Lead with your strongest points.
Share personal experience — how the issue impacts you, your farm, your community, your water. Personal testimony is the most effective kind.
Send your comments to your own elected officials too, so they know what matters to their voters.
5. Connect with Catalyst Montana
Catalyst Montana uplifts low-income and marginalized Montanans through community organizing, policy advocacy, research, and leadership development. They can help you get involved, find allies, and navigate the legislative process.
6. Talk to Your County Commissioners
County commissions approve local zoning and land-use decisions. Data center proposals often start at the county level. Show up to county commission meetings, submit public comment, and ask your commissioners to pass local moratoriums or impact requirements — following the lead of Missoula County, which already passed a temporary moratorium, and grassroots efforts in Cascade County and Yellowstone County.
7. Spread the Word
Share the petition. Talk to your neighbors, your farmers' market network, your church, your local coffee shop. The more Montanans who know what's happening — the secret contracts, the water consumption, the farmland at risk — the harder it is for officials to ignore.
Montana is the Last Best Place. Let's keep it that way.
Sources: Montana State Legislature — Contacting Legislators, ACLU of Montana — Engaging in the Legislative Process, Montana Public Service Commission, Montana Governor's Office
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Petition created on August 5, 2026