A data center was planned next to their river, but activists defeated it

Earlier this year, data center developer Krambu proposed a 7-29 megawatt data center next to the legendary Blackfoot River just outside of Missoula, Montana.

With the data center threatening to contaminate the river with toxic carcinogenic chemicals, the community launched a campaign against it. As community pressure mounted, Missoula County Commissioners proposed a 1 year moratorium on data centers and the owner of the site pulled their name from the application, effectively ending the application. The data center moratorium then passed, becoming the first in the state.

Now other communities in Butte, Billings, and Great Falls are looking to Missoula as inspiration to defeat data center proposals in their areas.

On Sunday, anglers, kayakers, rafters and other community members celebrated the defeat of the Krambu data center and protested other threats to their beloved Blackfoot River, including a proposed gravel pit and gold mine which would threaten the river and the surrounding communities.