Montana Data Center News

Mar 17, 2026

Cryptocurrency Industry Accelerates Transition To Renewable Energy Sources

The cryptocurrency industry is actively shifting away from fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy sources.

Main announcement/action: The article reports that the cryptocurrency industry is transitioning infrastructure and operations to renewable energy, with server farms and mining operations relocating to regions with abundant green power such as Iceland, Norway, and parts of the United States; it cites 52.4% of global Bitcoin mining energy from renewables in 2025 and an industry projection of 70% renewables by 2030.
Background and details: The piece notes software and operational changes including the wider adoption of Proof-of-Stake protocols, reference to a Cambridge study showing reduced emission intensity and improved hardware efficiency by mid-2024, and miners participating in grid demand response programs to stabilize local networks.

Mar 13, 2026

Landowners and Locals are Fighting AI Expansion of High-Voltage Power Lines

PPL has announced plans to build a 500-kilovolt transmission line (the 12-mile “Sugarloaf” project) that could cross John Zola’s 40-acre property in eastern Pennsylvania.

Project details and local action: The 12-mile Sugarloaf project would reuse and expand an existing corridor, involve 240-foot metal towers and require a wide corridor (up to 200-foot-wide in some projects); PPL serves more than 1.5 million customers, projects peak electricity demand to more than triple by 2030, has offered landowners cash payments (offers reported rising from $17,000 to $85,000 for one owner) and may pursue eminent domain if landowners refuse.
Background and national context: The article places the Sugarloaf dispute in a broader national trend driven by AI-era data center demand: a $1.7 billion proposed Pennsylvania-spanning line, a $22 billion Midwest transmission package under dispute, and utilities forecasting transmission spending to nearly $50 billion a year by 2028; opponents include landowners, conservationists, state regulators and regional stakeholders.

Feb 24, 2026

These data center developers asked Trump for an exemption from pollution rules

Novva and Thunderhead Energy Solutions requested presidential Clean Air Act exemptions from the EPA under the Trump administration to allow increased generator use at data centers.

Main announcement: Novva sought a two-year exemption to run 96 diesel generators without limits while finishing a 200 MW natural gas plant (the plant was earlier described as taking until 2027 to be built, though the article also says the gas plant is “expected to be operational in the coming months”). Thunderhead requested exemptions for 11 data centers consuming a combined 23 GW across Texas, Montana, and Illinois and proposed (in filings) a 5,000-MW gas plant in Winkler County, while publicly announcing a 250-MW plant in Ector County.
Background and process details: Companies submitted requests to a special EPA presidential-exemption inbox created under the Trump administration, arguing two required criteria: technology to comply is not available and operations are in the national security interest. An Environmental Defense Fund analysis of obtained records found that of more than 500 exemption requests it reviewed, roughly a third were granted; the EPA said it “played no role” and directed questions to the White House.

Jan 26, 2026

EPA moves toward changing particulate matter standard as manufacturers urge action

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to revisit and ask the court to vacate the Biden-era annual PM2.5 standard of nine micrograms per cubic meter.

Main action: The EPA filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit asking the court to vacate the March 2024 PM2.5 annual standard (lowered from 12 µg/m3 to 9 µg/m3). The agency said the Biden EPA took a “regulatory shortcut” and failed to adequately consider compliance costs; EPA urged vacatur before the initial nonattainment determinations due on Feb. 7 and states’ implementation plans due in April.
Background and details: Industry groups including NAM and 15 trade associations (e.g., SMA, Aluminum Association, American Cement Association) have pressed the Trump administration to revert the standard; EPA previously estimated the 2024 rule could prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, with monetized benefits of $22 billion to $46 billion and $590 million in estimated costs by 2032. A 2025 ACA report estimated 1 million metric tons of cement needed for AI data centers by 2028 and projects U.S. data centers rising from 5,426 to 6,000 by 2027.

Jan 12, 2026

Viewpoint: Data centers a looming environmental catastrophe

Reggie Spaulding, candidate for House District 92, announced that if elected he will push to make data center deals transparent and to require companies to pay for energy and grid upgrades or produce their own renewable energy.

He will educate the public, require companies to pay for energy and grid upgrades, and push for companies to produce their own RENEWABLE ENERGY; he also intends to make agreements transparent and open to public input if elected to House District 92.
Background: In 2025 the Montana legislature passed House Bill 424 granting tax breaks to data centers; the article claims data centers could DOUBLE the energy used in Montana, that they use massive amounts of water for cooling (risking rivers and groundwater or returning polluted water), and that many deals with companies like Amazon and Google are negotiated privately with limited public oversight.

Jan 2, 2026

State Broadband Bills of 2025: A Legislative Review

State legislatures across the United States enacted and considered broadband-related legislation in 2025; fewer than 140 of more than 600 proposed bills became law.

Main actions: States enacted laws prioritizing infrastructure and permitting reforms, pole and rights-of-way access, criminal penalties for theft/vandalism, state broadband funding, and data center incentives. Notable enacted measures include Hawaii H 934 (established a state Broadband Office and programs, enacted in June and backed by $400 million in combined funding), West Virginia SB 907 (expanded the Economic Development Project Fund to allow up to $25 million annually for broadband incentives and up to $125 million annually for broadband loan insurance) and West Virginia HB 2014 (signed in April; created microgrid districts with zoning/permitting exemptions and special property tax treatment for qualifying projects).
Additional details and timelines: States also raised criminal penalties (e.g., Oklahoma classified willful damage to a critical infrastructure facility as a Class D3 felony with fines up to $100,000 and prison up to 10 years; Louisiana authorized fines up to $50,000 and prison up to 20 years; California AB 476 increased penalties for knowingly buying illegally obtained scrap metal to $5,000). Other enacted programs include California SB 338 (a $2 million telehealth pilot), New Mexico SB 126 (Rural USF increased from $30 million to $40 million), and Oregon’s device support up to $100 in Lifeline-related assistance. At least 37 states passed data center incentives in 2025 and over 1,000 AI-focused bills were introduced nationwide, with ~38 states adopting or enacting roughly 100 AI measures in 2025.

Dec 30, 2025

Smart Building Environmental Monitoring With EC312-LoRaWAN Gateway

InHand Networks announced the EC312-LoRaWAN industrial gateway solution for smart building environmental monitoring in a press release distributed via ACCESS Newswire on December 30, 2025 from Chantilly, Virginia.

Main announcement: InHand Networks unveiled the EC312-LoRaWAN industrial gateway as a low-power, wide-coverage solution for continuous monitoring of temperature, humidity, water leakage, and door/access status; the solution supports LoRaWAN sensors, built-in LNS, private LoRaWAN deployment, and multiple backhaul options (Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, cellular). The release was published via ACCESS Newswire on December 30, 2025 (Chantilly, Virginia).
Background and details: The company highlights industrial-grade 24/7 operation, zero-code integration via InHand DSA, and a global footprint serving customers in over 60 countries including United States and China. Media contact listed: Eleanor Chen, Marketing & Communications (eleanor.chen@inhand.com). SOURCE: ACCESS Newswire press release.

Dec 30, 2025

Credo Releases 2025 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report

Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd released its 2025 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report.

Main announcement: Credo reported advances in energy-efficient connectivity aimed at supporting the energy-efficient growth of AI data centers, highlighted improvements across its product portfolio (targets for 100G, 200G, 400G, 800G and emerging 1.6T port markets), strengthened its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, expanded employee programs, and broadened Credo Cares partnerships in 2025. The company’s CEO, Bill Brennan, is quoted describing product improvements and reduced power consumption efforts in 2025.
Background and details: The report emphasizes product families including SerDes and DSP technologies, Integrated Circuits (ICs), Active Electrical Cables (AECs) and SerDes Chiplets; markets noted are optical and electrical Ethernet interconnects (100G–1.6T). The release links to Credo’s ESG page and includes media and investor contacts (diane.vanasse@credosemi.com, dan.oneil@credosemi.com).

Dec 24, 2025

10 biggest environmental stories of 2025

Columbia Insight (Chuck Thompson) published a year-end roundup listing the “10 biggest environmental stories of 2025,” summarizing major events and policy actions affecting the Pacific Northwest and broader U.S. environment.

Main summary: The piece catalogs federal rollbacks and regulatory changes (EPA 31 deregulatory provisions, President Trump’s memorandum withdrawing from a 2023 Columbia River salmon-restoration agreement), major weather and disaster events (record floods and drought-driven water shortages), and environmental incidents including Idaho’s copper treatment that left up to 90% invertebrate mortality in treated Snake River stretches.
Additional details and timelines: It documents the USDA plan to move the Forest Service Pacific Northwest headquarters to Fort Collins, Colo. (announced July), Washington State House funding cuts to the Gorge Commission for the 2025–27 biennium (27% reduction), data center expansion concerns (271 existing water-using data centers in OR/WA plus proposed new projects), and EPA actions described as the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history“ (March announcement of 31 provisions).

Dec 18, 2025

How the 2026 Washington Legislature Can Right-Size the Power Grid

Washington State lawmakers are being urged to overhaul transmission planning and permitting to expand grid capacity and connect more clean energy by 2026.

Main reforms proposed include creating a state transmission authority with revenue bonding power, broadening EFSEC expedited processing to avoid trial-like adjudicative hearings, clarifying or mandating that transmission lines be allowed in most/all local zones, and targeted SEPA exemptions or substitutions where impacts are minimal or already covered by EFSEC standards, all while preserving Tribal consultation and privacy.
Context and details: Article cites New Mexico, Colorado, and California public or quasi-public transmission models, highlights decade-long stagnation in Washington grid build-out, documents multi-year local conditional use permit delays (e.g., Energize Eastside) and their cost pass-through to PSE customers, and references recent historic flooding in Washington as evidence of escalating climate risks that make faster grid expansion urgent.

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