Data Center Event Aims To ‘Improve Understanding’
By Avonlea Brown
The Journal, Crosby
Residents of Divide, Williams, Burke, Mountrail, McKenzie and Ward counties gathered in the Tioga Community Center on Sept. 14 for an informational open house on data centers.
State Sen. Mark Enget, R-Powers Lake, organized the forum and said he was pleased with the turnout.
“I think we got a good showing,” Enget said. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect.”
Rather than a series of presentations, Enget gave opening remarks and then encouraged attendees to explore the various tables with representatives from electric utilities, county commissions and other government entities.
Enget said in his opening remarks his purpose is “not to tell you what to think”. He simply wanted to provide the opportunity for the public to gather more information.
Divide County Commissioner Isaac Jacobs represented the county at one table.
A group of state representatives was selected by Enget to host discussions about the environmental, electrical, infrastructure and economic impacts of data centers.
“The building itself is only part of the conversation,” Enget said.
At one table, people from Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Montana-Dakota Utilities answered questions about electric consumption of data centers.
In addition, representatives from the state Environmental Quality, Water Resources and Commerce departments answered questions about economic impacts, taxes, jobs, impacts on the environment and other questions relating to the changes a community might see as a result of a data center being built nearby.
Also in attendance was Don Flaherty, mayor of Ellendale in Dickey County, who spoke from personal experience about what a data center does to and for a community.
Flaherty held a short Q&A session midway through the event to address specific concerns raised during the first half.
“If a data center company comes to you and wants to build in your area, there’s two important questions you have to ask,” Flaherty said. “The first question is: What type of data center is it going to be? The second question is: Where is it going to be?”
His presentation also covered the economic advantages the city has seen and complaints he has gotten from residents.
Despite Flaherty’s generally positive impression of the data center in Ellendale, Enget emphasized that the meeting was not intended to take sides one way or another.
“Our goal today is not to manufacture agreement,” Enget said, “but rather our goal is to improve understanding.”