Independent public-record site · not affiliated with Quantica Infrastructure, NorthWestern Energy or Yellowstone County

Reference

Records, method, and corrections

Everything on this site traces back to a page you can open. This page is where they all live, together with what the record doesn’t contain yet, how the site was built, and how to tell it when it’s wrong.

The primary record

Every source this site uses

Grouped by kind, so that agency records, the company’s own statements and news reports can be weighed differently. Each page carries its own numbered list as well.

Agency records

  1. Montana DEQ, “Quantica Big Sky Campus Public Water Well: Request for Public Comments on Categorical Exclusion Review under a Programmatic Environmental Assessment,” posted September 29, 2026, accessed October 23, 2026. deq.mt.govMadison aquifer, about 1,000 ft deeper than the Eagle Sandstone; NE¼ SW¼ Sec. 9, T3N, R23E, about 3.5 miles southeast of Broadview; ~150,000 gpd during construction and ~20,000 gpd after; comments due 11:59 p.m., November 6, 2026 (extended). Links the application, the draft checklist and the programmatic EA.
  2. Montana DEQ, press release on the Big Sky Campus well, September 29, 2026, updated October 21, 2026. deq.mt.govDEQ’s review covers water quality; water quantity and water rights belong to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, from which a data center must obtain a water right, a change in use, or water from an existing right holder.
  3. Montana DEQ, air quality permit listings, accessed October 23, 2026. deq.mt.gov/airNo entry for Quantica, Big Sky Campus or Broadview was found on October 23, 2026.
  4. Montana Public Service Commission, home page, accessed October 23, 2026. psc.mt.gov · REDDIPublic comment through REDDI (“Continue as Guest”, then “Submit a Public Comment in a Docket”); [email protected]; 406-444-6150 or 800-646-6150. “What’s Trending” lists an investigation into resource adequacy and data centers, NorthWestern’s large load tariff, the NorthWestern/Black Hills merger application, and NorthWestern’s 2026 integrated resource plan.
  5. Montana Code Annotated § 2-10-204 (Right to Compute Act; Ch. 150, L. 2025, codified at MCA 2-10-201 through 2-10-207). mca.legmt.gov
  6. Yellowstone County, Board of County Commissioners page, accessed October 23, 2026. yellowstonecountymt.govMembers, districts, emails, the shared phone 406-256-2701 and mailing address P.O. Box 35000, Billings, MT 59107.
  7. Yellowstone County, Board of County Commissioners regular meeting agenda, October 27, 2026. Agenda (PDF)Tuesday, 9:00 a.m., Room 309 of the Ostlund Building, 2825 3rd Ave N, Billings. Two public comment periods; three minutes per speaker.
  8. Yellowstone County, Board of County Commissioners discussion agendas, accessed October 23, 2026. yellowstonecountymt.govThe October 22, 2026 discussion agenda listed a presentation on the health impacts of data centers.
  9. Yellowstone County, proposed resolution appointing an interim county attorney, on the October 27, 2026 agenda. Resolution (PDF)County Attorney Scott Twito’s resignation effective October 25, 2026; Arielle Dean proposed as interim county attorney through January 1, 2027.
  10. Montana Legislature, legislator lookup. leg.mt.gov

Company statements

  1. Quantica Infrastructure, “Quantica files interconnection applications to expand power generation for its Big Sky Digital Infrastructure Campus,” press release, May 20, 2026. quanticainfra.comCompany statement. Up to 7,235 MW of interconnection against a 1,100 MW campus; EnCap Investments L.P. named as sponsor; CEO John Chesser; the ratepayer quote from Charlie Baker.
  2. Big Sky Digital Infrastructure, “Big Sky Digital Infrastructure outlines water use plans, estimates 20,000 gallons of water per day once completed,” press release, August 31, 2026. quanticainfra.comCompany statement. Closed-loop cooling; ~20,000 gpd in operation, up to 150,000 gpd at peak construction; 160 gpm for up to 16 hours a day; the company’s claim that the Madison is not hydraulically connected to the Eagle.
  3. Big Sky Digital Infrastructure, home page and FAQ, accessed October 23, 2026. bigskydigitalinfra.com · FAQCompany statements. 5,100 acres owned fee simple; Phase 1 ramping to 500 MW “beginning in 2028”; “evaluating natural gas”; job and investment estimates attributed to the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
  4. “Quantica Infrastructure introduces Big Sky Digital Infrastructure as its flagship development platform in Montana,” August 4, 2025, as republished by Big Sky Economic Development. bigskyeconomicdevelopment.orgThe project’s public launch; 5,000 acres at the time.
  5. NorthWestern Energy, “NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Corp. advance plans to merge,” October 20, 2025. northwesternenergy.comNews reports give the PSC docket as 2025.10.078; this site has not opened the docket itself.

Filings and advocacy

  1. Earthjustice, “Groups file complaint to stop NorthWestern Energy from shifting data center costs to residential customers,” November 18, 2025. earthjustice.orgFiled November 17, 2025 for Big Sky 55+, Butte Watchdogs, Climate Smart Missoula, Golden Triangle Resource Council, Helena Interfaith Climate Advocates, Honor the Earth, MEIC, MontPIRG and NW Energy Coalition.
  2. Montana Environmental Information Center, “Recording of panel: Broadview, Montana’s largest data center proposal,” posted July 16, 2026. meic.orgThe June 18, 2026 panel held in Broadview.
  3. Montana Environmental Information Center, data centers page. meic.org/data-centers
  4. Northern Plains Resource Council, “Press Pause on Data Centers.” northernplains.org/data-centers
  5. Alex Mitchell, “Emails: Massive gas power plants planned north of Billings for Broadview data center,” Billings Gazette, May 21, 2026, as reprinted by Northern Plains Resource Council. northernplains.orgDEQ emails of March 23 and April 3, 2026: a Major NSR/PSD air permit likely needed, with public review and a likely environmental impact statement; a gas line would be needed. 585 MW of gas engines plus 1,200 MW of gas turbines.

News reporting

  1. Justin Dubail, “Big Sky data center near Billings seeks major power supply from NorthWestern Energy,” NonStop Local / Montana Right Now, May 21, 2026. montanarightnow.com7,235 MW maximum request; 500 MW in year one and 1,100 MW by year two; NorthWestern’s 2024 average load of nearly 1,400 MW, per state utility data; first building hoped for in 2029.
  2. “Quantica seeking to boost energy capacity at Broadview data center site to 7,235 MW,” KTVQ, May 2026. ktvq.comThe project had initially been announced at around 1,000 MW.
  3. “Quantica submits applications for stated 7,235 megawatts,” Montana State News Bureau, via the MSU Exponent, May 2026. msuexponent.comCompares the request to Montana’s total net summer generating capacity of 7,183 MW in 2024.
  4. “Groups file complaint to block NorthWestern Energy plan tied to data center projects,” NBC Montana, November 19, 2025. nbcmontana.comNorthWestern’s July 30, 2025 letter of intent to provide up to 1,000 MW to Quantica’s project.
  5. “Agreement between data center developer and union federation thin on details,” Montana Free Press, June 17, 2026. montanafreepress.org
  6. “NorthWestern tells PSC to throw out data center complaint,” Daily Montanan, March 17, 2026. dailymontanan.comMotion to dismiss filed February 24, 2026; letters of intent to three developers totaling about 1,400 MW.
  7. “Yellowstone County data center ballot initiative stopped by courts,” Daily Montanan, August 15, 2026. dailymontanan.comA July 13 deadline under current law and 16,650 valid signatures required.
  8. “Commissioners agree to discuss emergency zoning request over proposed Broadview data center,” KTVQ, August 2026. ktvq.com
  9. “Data center opponents seek interim zoning as Yellowstone County official cites roadblock from new state law,” Montana Free Press, September 7, 2026. montanafreepress.org
  10. Phoebe Tollefson, “Broadview area data center sees first phase of construction with roads, well work,” Montana Free Press, September 18, 2026. montanafreepress.orgStaging in early September, then access roads and the well; a site of nearly eight square miles; a retired Montana Tech hydrogeologist on the Madison’s warm, salty water and the reverse-osmosis brine it would leave.
  11. “Right to Compute Act and regulatory authority,” Montana Free Press, September 21, 2026. montanafreepress.orgSB 212 (2025), sponsored by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings; passed the House 61–38 and the Senate 50–0.
  12. “Yellowstone County commissioners ask Legislature to ‘refine’ data center law,” Montana Free Press, September 24, 2026, updated October 1. montanafreepress.org
  13. Phoebe Tollefson, “Yellowstone County sues over initiative aimed at Quantica data center,” Montana Free Press, October 7, 2026. montanafreepress.org
  14. “PSC filings reveal NorthWestern plan for gas storage facility near Broadview substation,” Billings Gazette. billingsgazette.comPaywalled. This site has relied only on the headline and has not reviewed the underlying filing.
The other half

What the public record doesn’t contain yet

  • An air quality permit application for the gas plants DEQ staff expect to need a Major NSR/PSD permit.[3][20]
  • A DNRC water right application, change of use, or purchase agreement for the campus’s water.[2]
  • The interconnection applications themselves, and any study NorthWestern has done of them.[11]
  • NorthWestern’s Broadview gas storage filing, which this site knows only from a Gazette headline.[34]
  • PSC docket numbers for the November 2025 complaint and the gas storage filing.
  • A ruling in the county’s validity lawsuit against the second initiative.[33]
  • A named tenant for the campus.

If you have any of these, or know where they are filed, see the corrections policy below.

Method

How this site was built

Four rules govern everything here.

  • Named sources only. Every factual claim is footnoted to a published source that can be opened and read. Nothing rests on an anonymous tip.
  • Company claims are labeled as claims. Quantica’s figures for water, jobs and investment are reported as the company’s statements, not as findings.
  • Silence is reported as silence. Where the record doesn’t answer a question, this site says so rather than inferring an answer. Those blanks are marked in amber throughout.
  • Arithmetic is labeled as arithmetic. Where this site computes something the sources don’t state, such as the five-times comparison, it says so next to the number.

Sources were accessed between October 21 and October 23, 2026. Where sources conflict, on acreage, the Madison’s depth, the first year of operation or a signature count, this site shows each version with its source.

Accountability

Corrections policy

If anything on this site is wrong, it will be corrected, and the correction will be logged here with its date. That applies with particular force to Quantica and NorthWestern Energy: if a record exists that answers a question this site marks as open, such as the air permit, the water right or the interconnection studies, publish it, and it will be linked here alongside the correction.

Corrections are made by changing the page and adding an entry below. Nothing is silently rewritten.

Corrections log

No corrections yet. Site compiled October 23, 2026.