In September, Great Falls Rising posed three questions to our statehouse and PSC candidates. Both Senate Candidates for SD10 responded, and their responses are shown (unedited) below, in the order they were received at Great Falls Rising:
1. What is your position on permitting hyperscale data centers within Cascade County?
Margaret Mitchell, Democratic candidate for SD10:
As a VP for American Express, I led two LEED Gold-certified medium scale data center projects (LEED internationally recognized certification of buildings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Data centers can be built responsibly, but hyperscale data centers are a different animal. Unregulated hyper and large-scale data centers pose significant risks, including higher utility bills, noise pollution, excessive water use, and environmental damage. They provide jobs only for their initial build-out, but a tiny fraction once built. They are called lights out facilities for a reason. There are no people in them.
Montana needs a set of laws to bubble wrap data center projects from harming the state and protect citizens’ voices. First, enact legislation that bars public officials from entering into non-disclosure agreements with private companies.
Next, implement best practice regulations in place to ensure large-scale data centers comply with protecting Montana’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. This would include meaningful consultations with Tribal Nations to protect culturally significant lands and natural resources.
Finally, implement a punitive level fee for any large scale use of Montana natural resources; this will deter not only abuse by Hyperscale and large data centers but also golf courses, mining, and other harmful industrial impacts to Montana’s natural resources.
Jessica Dyrdahl, Republican candidate for SD10:
Against.
Trevor Funseth, Republican candidate for HD11:
I do not want a massive data center built next to my house. However, I believe it would be unreasonable to make a blanket rule of no data centers in Montana at all. Tech and AI is clearly an important part of the economy of the future, and it would be a miss to get off the boat completely. So, we need to make sure that, if these businesses do want to come to Montana, they play by our rules. That is, they pay all costs related to power, water, and other utilities, and no costs can be passed on to other utility consumers. Second, the centers should be located in industrial districts, never residential. Finally, they should not be allowed here at all if their water or power consumption will have any negative impact on our systems, water quality, or power availability. This process requires time, research, and public involvement. If done correctly, data centers can be a positive to our community by providing construction jobs and a large property tax revenue source, which funds our schools and law enforcement.
2. Do you support the use of “flock cameras” in Cascade County to record vehicle data, to assist police investigations in your district?
Margaret Mitchell, Democratic candidate for SD10:
My years of experience as a software engineer and VP at American Express, CIO of a medical device company, and holder of two U.S. patents on IT privacy have taught me that data privacy is a right that must be protected through regulation. Without regulation, it is too easily abused. Flock cameras abuse core principles of privacy by not protecting our right to know, right to be forgotten, right to opt out, and the right to equal treatment. Any device used for the collection and storage of data needs to protect these rights or not be allowed.
Jessica Dyrdahl, Republican candidate for SD10:
No.
Trevor Funseth, Republican candidate for HD11:
No. I am very concerned about Flock cameras and the invasion of Montanans’ privacy. Our state constitution protects our right to privacy. Not only do I believe the government should not be allowed to use Flock cameras to record us and our data, but I also do not believe that the government should be able to access data or video from private cameras without a warrant. Finally, those private camera owners should be barred from selling our data.
3. What is your position on CI-133, which aims to protect Montanans’ right to create citizen initiative (CI) amendments to the 1972 State Constitution?
Margaret Mitchell, Democratic candidate for SD10:
I support CI-133 because it reinforces our existing right to create citizen initiatives. It will defend against the continuous attacks on that right enshrined in the 1972 Constitution.
Jessica Dyrdahl, Republican candidate for SD10:
There’s a better solution.
Trevor Funseth, Republican candidate for HD11:
I am a tentative no on CI-133. I strongly support the initiative process in Montana. However, it appears to me that the process is effective as-is. The initiative process is used in nearly every election cycle and has been used dozens of times to successfully amend our constitution. I am wary of a proposal to attempt to fix something that does not appear to be broken.
