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Data centers in Silver Bow County, Montana: 1 project mapped
On Sept. 22, 2026, the Montana Supreme Court ordered Butte-Silver Bow not to block a data center ballot measure, keeping alive a question the county had tried to keep off the November ballot. Local Initiative 00-02, from Denise Kelly's group 406 People First, would require two-thirds voter approval in a special election before the city-county can authorize any data center. The fight is over a deadline: election administrator Cynthia Sherman first told organizers they had until Aug. 14 to gather 3,652 valid signatures, then said a 2025 state law actually required them by July 13.
The group turned in 3,850 valid signatures. A district court ruled on Aug. 28 that the earlier statutory deadline applied despite the wrong information from election officials, but the Supreme Court granted an injunction pending appeal, noting the initiative had cleared the signature threshold. "Butte-Silver Bow will follow the Supreme Court's ruling," Chief Executive JP Gallagher said. The measure grew out of Sabey Data Centers' plan for a data center on more than 600 acres at the county's Montana Connections Industrial Park; Sabey backed out in May but is still exploring other sites in southwest Montana.
Gallagher argues the initiative's definition of a data center is so broad it could stop "a new bank from coming into town"; economic developer Evan Barrett called that "pure baloney." Separately, Commissioner Michele Shea asked the county attorney to draft a temporary moratorium, which the county's judiciary committee was scheduled to begin discussing Sept. 9; no result of that discussion has been published. What happens next: the ballot measure goes to voters in November unless the pending appeal changes that first.
Data center projects on record in Silver Bow County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Butte1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte Data CenterButte | Sabey Data Centers | Cancelled | 250 MW |
Where this comes from
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Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.