Viewpoint: Pay attention to the hidden cost of data centers

In a viewpoint piece for the Missoula Current, Haley Yarborough and other Montana health professionals, members of MT Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, warn about the hidden environmental and public health costs associated with the rise of data centers in Montana. They argue that while issues like wildfire smoke and drought are prominent, data centers quietly contribute to climate change and public health risks through their immense energy and water demands. Data centers are estimated to account for over 4% of total U.S. electricity consumption, a figure projected to double or triple with the expansion of artificial intelligence. This energy often comes from fossil fuels, leading to increased air pollution, which contributes to respiratory and heart diseases, costing the U.S. over $5 billion in public-health expenses between 2019 and 2023. Additionally, large data centers use 3-5 million gallons of water daily for cooling, potentially competing with agriculture and municipal supplies, a significant concern in drought-prone Montana. Despite ongoing proposals and negotiations with utilities to supply electricity for new data centers in areas like Butte and Yellowstone County, Montana currently has few regulations to limit their energy or water use. The authors emphasize that communities are left to weigh these risks largely on their own. They urge policymakers and communities to proactively ask critical questions about the source of electricity, water consumption, and who will bear the health and infrastructure costs before irreversible development occurs, asserting that the internet's physical infrastructure relies on vital resources that Montanans depend on.