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Fergus County officials, residents raise power and water concerns over proposed 'mega' data centers
Summary
Commissioners and residents reported a packed public meeting about proposed large data centers, citing concerns about energy demand, water use and local land‑use controls; county officials said zoning and permitting present legal and practical constraints on local action.
Fergus County commissioners and community members reported a large, well‑attended public forum on proposed large-scale data centers, with speakers warning of substantial power and water impacts and urging local officials to weigh land‑use controls.
A commissioner who attended the forum summarized concerns that a Broadview-area project was described by a presenter as roughly 1,000 megawatts of demand while the commissioner said Montana’s generation capacity had been cited at about 750 megawatts, prompting alarm about sourcing and transmission. "I did sort of play in and say, 'No, that's not entirely true,'" the commissioner said, noting that local zoning and legal limits complicate direct county control.
The forum also featured technical presentations that questioned water‑use and cooling systems. Speakers asked whether proposed facilities would use closed‑loop cooling or draw and discharge surface water, what would be in periodic flush/discharge flows, and how DEQ and EPA permitting and water‑rights law would apply. A county official said DEQ discharge rules are a major factor in review and that any discharge would need rigorous testing and treatment.
Commissioners and staff said county zoning would be necessary to exert land‑use control over data center siting but acknowledged that creating or changing zoning is a complex public process. "If you really want to control land use and growth in your county, it requires zoning," a commissioner said, noting consultations with the county’s land‑use attorney are underway.
Speakers also discussed economic tradeoffs: panelists said large projects can generate sizable construction employment but relatively few permanent operations jobs. Commissioners noted earlier conversations with the airport about leasing land for related facilities and said any lease had been negotiated with legal assistance and that company attorneys had not yet completed a response.
The commissioners said they will continue researching zoning, permitting, and the technical questions raised at the public forum and will consult county counsel; no formal policy or regulatory action was taken at this meeting.
