The rumors aren't true, Anaconda Chief Executive Bill Everett assured the public Tuesday night: No data centers are coming to town.
Nevertheless, Everett said at the city commission meeting that he plans to seek a 12-month moratorium on data centers coming to Anaconda to ensure further examination of the issue.
The commission plan to hold a hearing on the proposed moratorium in about three weeks.
Data centers have emerged as a flashpoint in communities across Montana. In Butte, a proposal by Sabey Data Center fell apart in April after neighbor REC Silicon exercised a right-of-refusal to buy the 620-acre site where the project was planned. A citizens group had launched a petition requiring public approval of data centers in response to the plan.
Last month, the Missoula City Council approved a moratorium on data centers, and a local AI is suing to overturn the measure.
In Broadview, developer Quantica broke ground in October on a massive data center on 5,000 acres south of town. The project has been met with protests and angry public comment at Yellowstone County commissioners' meetings.
