Montana: data centers & your electric bill
As of October 1, 2026, AI GridWatch tracks 4 data center moratoriums or pushback actions in Montana: 3 in force, 1 proposed. The state has 12 tracked data center facilities using an estimated 0.2 TWh of electricity a year.
Everything GridWatch tracks in Montana on one page — proposed projects, moratoriums, permits, officials, and the 2026 ballot.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Montana.
As of July 2026 (3m ago) · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
1Proposed data centers in Montana (1)
1 still live · 0 decided or withdrawn. Each name links to the full dossier — ownership, intelligence log, and where to read the paper trail.
| Project | Where | Size | Behind it | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantica Big Sky Campus | Broadview (Yellowstone County) | 1,000 MW | Quantica Infrastructure | In review | Source |
2Pushback already happening in Montana
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte-Silver Bow | County | Proposedterm not documented | Commission voted 11-0 on Sep 2 to direct county attorney to prepare interim zoning ordinance for temporary moratorium. Requires three additional votes plus 30-day wait before implementation. Would be 6 months with option to extend to 1 year, up to 2.5 years total. Separately, a ballot initiative by 406 People First to require 2/3 voter approval for DCs was blocked — judge ruled Aug 28 that signature deadline had passed; group has appealed to MT Supreme Court. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Missoula County | County | Enactedexpires 2027-07-08 | Commissioners unanimously adopted interim zoning barring permits for new or expanded data centers in both zoned and unzoned unincorporated areas (excludes City of Missoula). First data center moratorium in Montana. All 30 public commenters favored it. County identified electricity/water demand, waste heat, noise, and vibration as impacts requiring study. Can be extended one additional year. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| City of Missoula | City | Enactedno end date — permanent | City adopted Unified Development Code (Title 22) on Feb 2, effective Mar 4. New zoning map contains no district in which a data center is an allowed use — a de facto permanent ban through zoning. Distinct from Missoula County's interim moratorium which covers unincorporated areas only. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Fort Peck Reservation | Tribal | Enactedno end date — permanent | Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board (Assiniboine and Sioux) voted to ban all future discussions between tribal government and data center developers, effectively blocking development on the reservation. Chairman Floyd Azure said three companies approached in the past year. Primary concern is water contamination — 'Fort Peck historically struggled with acquiring clean, drinkable water.' | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
As of August 2026 (2m ago) · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
3Every data center already built in Montana
GridWatch does not yet track a named hyperscale campus in Montana, but that does not mean the state has none. DataCenterMap keeps a public directory of existing facilities — street addresses included — for Montana.
Browse the Montana directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
4Your regulator
Montana Public Service Commission — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Montana electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
5Where the Montana paper trail lives
Air & environmental permits: Montana DEQ — Air Quality Bureau
No searchable register. Montana does not publish a permit database you can query. A public-records request to the agency is the only route to the file.
Grid interconnection queue: Southwest Power Pool (Plains)
A routing hint only — several states are split between markets, and the serving utility is the only authority on which queue a given site is in.
These are places to look, not evidence that anything has been filed. Links were checked on 2026-08-21; search links are queries, not records.
6Your federal delegation and governor
Grades cross party — this is an issue axis, not a partisan one. A blank grade means no documented action was located, never that the official is neutral.
| Grade | Official | Documented action (sourced) | Reach them |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Greg Gianforte Republican · Governor | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Steve Daines Republican · Senator · on the 2026 ballot | No documented action on data centers located Accelerate Announced a 50 MW hydro-powered data center on CSKT land in 2022 and has framed reliable power for data centers as the backbone of prosperity, with no located position on cost allocation or community safeguards. sources | site · contact |
| — | Tim Sheehy Republican · Senator · next on the ballot 2030 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Ryan K. Zinke Republican · Representative 1 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Troy Downing Republican · Representative 2 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
Roster: regenerated by scripts/refresh_officials.py (Senate XML + congress-legislators + current governors).
Write to your senators → Your senators in detail → Full officials scorecard → Find your state legislators →
72026 U.S. Senate race
PVI R+10 · Seat held by Steve Daines (Republican) · Incumbent retiring
Alani Bankhead (Democratic) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Kurt Alme (Republican) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Tech & utility PAC money: $7,500 from 2 committees (FEC, cycle 2026, pulled 2026-08-26) — FEC record
Kyle Austin (Libertarian) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Seth Bodnar (Independent) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Ballot roster: state candidate list (read 2026-08-25).
82026 U.S. House races in Montana (2)
A documented data-center record exists in 1 of 2 districts. A candidate with no badge colour has said nothing we could locate — that is a gap in the record, not a neutral position. ★ marks an incumbent.
| District | PVI | Incumbent | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| MT-1 | R+5 | Ryan Zinke | Aaron Flint Sam Forstag Kimberly Persico Nick Sheehy |
| MT-2 | R+15 | Troy Downing | Brian Miller Troy Downing ★ Michael Eisenhauer Patrick McCracken |
The documented records (1 district)
MT-2
Brian Miller (Democratic) Guardrails
Emphasizes local control and transparency; served as legal counsel for citizens challenging data center development
- Served as legal counsel for citizens challenging Quantica data center development in Yellowstone County; stated 'We need to have maximum local control and respect state sovereignty on data centers'; criticized NDAs hiding operational details (2026-09-12 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
Troy Downing (Republican) · incumbent Mixed
Supports data centers with local control and water rights protections
- Stated 'Data centers can bring investment and opportunity to Montana, but these decisions should be made by the communities that will live with them'; called for 'light-touch' federal approach; insisted 'Montana's senior water rights must be protected' (2026-09-12 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
Michael Eisenhauer (Independent) Mixed
Supports local decision-making with conditions; not opposed to data centers but wants protections
- Stated 'I think local control is the way it needs to be. I am not in favor of a mandate either for or against'; has 5-Pillar policy including closed-loop cooling, worker/ratepayer protections, and community final approval (2026-09-12 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
Patrick McCracken (Libertarian) Guardrails
Highlights environmental and resource concerns; notes unaddressed electrical and water impacts
- Stated 'most people would not want to live next door to a data center'; highlighted unaddressed electrical and water resource impacts; referenced Montana's constitutional guarantee of healthful environment (2026-09-12 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
9Latest Montana data center news
No Montana data-center headlines in this week's national scan — local coverage often runs ahead of it.
Search live Montana data center news → GridWatch news feed →
A data center was proposed near you?
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State municipal league: Montana League of Cities and Towns