First Nations on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana have been banned from entering discussions with companies looking to build data centers.
The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board, which represents the Assiniboine and Sioux First Nations that live on the reservation, voted to ban talks between tribal governments and data center developers amid concerns over the environmental impact of digital infrastructure projects.
Board chairman Floyd Azure said tribal governments had been approached by three different data center developers looking to build on the reservation in the last year.
First Nations in Montana aren't keen on welcoming data centers – Getty Images
"We asked them questions," he told the Montana Free Press. "One of the main questions is what is this going to bring to the tribes and how will the tribes benefit. And they didn't have an answer. So, what we took from that is, all they want to do is utilize our resources. And I thought, 'No. There's no way we're going to give that up. We do not want them here.'"
