When Mike Heisey heard from his neighbors, he listened.

Heisey, who manages the Bonner Mill Industrial Park in western Montana, pulled his signature from a proposed AI data center on July 6 after months of community pushback. His decision effectively halted the project before a single brick was laid.

"After hearing from the public and understanding what the concerns are, I have decided to withdraw my signature," Heisey said in a statement to Missoula County. "Bonner Property will not be moving forward with the data center proposed by them."

The proposed Krambu facility would have been one of Montana's first AI-focused data centers — a 7-megawatt operation at an old mill site in Bonner, a small community east of Missoula. But residents weren't convinced it was the right fit. More than 100 neighbors showed up to a community meeting earlier this month to voice worries about electricity demand, water use, noise, and what the project might mean for the area's character.

Environmental groups, including the Montana Environmental Information Center, had also urged county leaders to strengthen rules before approving more AI infrastructure.

Now, Missoula County is moving to formally pause new data center development while officials figure out whether existing rules are strong enough. County commissioners are scheduled to vote on interim zoning July 9 — a temporary block that could last up to a year, with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, said the county is taking an important step. Missoula is already the only county in Montana with regulations protecting people from air and water pollution, noise and vibrations. But she said data centers bring new challenges that need fresh thinking.

"Data centers are far more disruptive and harmful than previously known," Hedges told Inside Climate News.

County planner Jennie Dixon said officials had hoped the Krambu project could show how AI facilities might be built responsibly under careful local oversight. She had encouraged the company to stay the course.

"Wouldn't it be fantastic if Missoula could be the poster child for how to do a data center the right way?" Dixon told Missoula Current. "That's our goal with this interim pause — to figure out how to be the example for the country on how to do these the right way."

No similar projects are currently planned for the area. But county leaders say they want to be ready before the next one comes knocking.