A panel at the University of Montana on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, about potential data center development in Montana. From left: Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, Derek Goldman, with the North West Energy Coalition, Barbara Chillcott, senior attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, and Amy Cilimburg, executive director of Climate Smart Missoula. Photo via Montana Free Press.
By: Katie Fairbanks, Montana Free Press
As nationwide opposition to the increasing number of data centers grows, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the University of Montana Tuesday for a panel discussion about the facilities proposed in the state, including one in Missoula’s backyard.
Panelists from environmental groups detailed the potential effects on state and local resources and answered questions that have proliferated nationwide about data centers’ impacts on communities.
