Viewpoint: Montana is not a server farm

Reilly Neill

Montana doesn’t need more data centers. Period. Our state built its economy on clean water, public lands, agriculture, local businesses, and responsible resource development.

If more data centers come to Montana, they need to pay the full cost of the infrastructure they require. They must not drive up electric rates for existing customers or make a call on our water.

Without fair compensation and careful planning, this novel industry has the potential to displace productive agricultural land. Farms and ranches feed our communities and keep Main Streets alive. Data centers are not worth the tradeoff.

When outside corporations profit from extracting our resources, Montana deserves lasting public benefits. In 1975, Montana adopted a major coal severance tax. The Montana Constitution requires that at least 50% of coal severance tax revenue be dedicated to a permanent trust fund.

Data centers should meet this standard.

Mining, timber, and energy projects shaped Montana's history. We've learned hard lessons from past resource development and so we demand reclamation laws, fair taxation, and environmental protections. We understand what happens when corporations take value and leave the public with wasted resources and devastated economies.

Counties and rural electric cooperatives will live with the long-term consequences of data center development long after developers leave. Montana already knows how to balance economic development with resource protection. Our laws and traditions reflect a clear expectation.

Development must benefit Montana first.

Montanans welcome responsible investment. We don't welcome projects that shift costs onto farmers, ranchers, and working families. Our land, water and power belong to the people who live and work here, not corporate profiteers.

Reilly Neil is a Montana candidate for the U.S. Senate.