Frustrated, rowdy data center opponents make more noise in Yellowstone County
At a Yellowstone County Commission meeting, residents vocally pushed for a countywide moratorium on data centers to be placed on the November ballot, following a failed citizen initiative. The commission took no immediate action, despite strong public outcry and concerns about environmental impacts and electricity costs from the proposed 8-square-mile data center campus near Broadview. Opposition leaders expressed frustration over county officials' error in providing an incorrect deadline for the earlier ballot initiative.
Yellowstone County residents expressed frustration at a recent County Commission meeting, where they unsuccessfully urged commissioners to place a countywide moratorium on data centers on the November ballot. The proposed data center, a nearly 8-square-mile campus developed by Quantica Infrastructure north of Billings near Broadview, has faced months of legal challenges and strong community opposition.
Organizers, led by Broadview resident Kassi Solberg, had previously attempted to get the moratorium on the ballot via a citizen initiative but missed the deadline due to an error by the county elections department. A representative from Quantica Infrastructure notified the county of a new state law that had changed the deadline, a detail that had apparently eluded county officials. Solberg noted that volunteers had gathered nearly 15,000 signatures before a judge ruled the deadline had passed.
During the heated commission meeting, dozens of residents voiced concerns about the data center's potential environmental impact, water usage, and increased electricity costs. Speakers were frequently interrupted by applause and pledged to vote against the re-election of the three commissioners. Chairman Mark Morse engaged in angry exchanges with commenters, often cutting them off. While no action was taken on the moratorium proposal, commissioners are scheduled to consider interim zoning, a measure that could pause development for one year.