Montana House Bill 263 was a 2025 proposal to revise digital asset mining and data center ratemaking laws. The bill did not become law: bill-tracking records list HB 263 as failed after the House action \u201cDied in Process\u201d on May 20, 2025. If enacted, HB 263 would have amended Montana Code Annotated \u00a7 69-3-332 by adding annual electricity-use reporting for certain data centers and digital mining businesses.<\/p>\n
HB 263 was introduced in the Montana House during the 69th Legislature\u2019s 2025 regular session by Rep. Katie Sullivan. The proposal was referred to the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee, received a hearing, and was tabled in committee on Feb. 3, 2025. It missed the general bill transmittal deadline on March 12 and died in process on May 20.<\/p>\n
Because the bill failed, the proposed reporting requirement and delayed effective date did not take effect. The current Montana digital asset mining ratemaking statute remains MCA \u00a7 69-3-332, which states that the Public Service Commission may not establish a rate classification for digital asset mining, digital asset mining businesses, or home digital asset mining that creates unduly discriminatory rates.<\/p>\n
HB 263 would have changed the heading of \u00a7 69-3-332 to \u201cDigital asset mining and data center ratemaking — reporting requirement.\u201d The proposed amendment would have required any data center or digital mining business operating in Montana, excluding home digital asset mining, to submit annual electricity-use information by March 1.<\/p>\n
The reports would have gone to two state bodies: the Montana Public Service Commission and the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee. Covered entities would have reported total megawatt-hours of electricity consumed in the previous calendar year and anticipated megawatt-hours needed for the current calendar year.<\/p>\n
The proposal incorporated existing definitions in \u00a7 69-3-332. \u201cDigital asset mining\u201d is defined in current Montana law as using electricity to power a computer for the purpose of securing a blockchain network. A \u201cdigital asset mining business\u201d is a group of computers at a single site consuming more than 1 megawatt of energy on an average annual basis for the purpose of generating digital assets by securing a blockchain network.<\/p>\n
HB 263 also used the current statutory definition of \u201cdata center,\u201d which covers a building or premises mainly occupied by computers, telecommunications, or related equipment, including supporting equipment, where information is processed, transferred, and stored. The reporting proposal expressly excluded home digital asset mining, which current law describes as residential mining that consumes less than 1 megawatt on an average annual basis.<\/p>\n
HB 263 would have operated within Montana\u2019s broader digital asset mining framework adopted in 2023. That framework includes the ratemaking provision in \u00a7 69-3-332 and a separate zoning provision, MCA \u00a7 76-2-1003, limiting local restrictions on digital asset mining businesses and home digital asset mining.<\/p>\n
The failed 2025 proposal did not repeal Montana\u2019s existing mining protections. Instead, it would have added an electricity-demand reporting layer for larger compute facilities while preserving the statutory language against unduly discriminatory digital asset mining rate classifications. Editors should note a drafting ambiguity: the reporting subsection uses the phrase \u201cdigital mining business,\u201d while the definitions section uses \u201cdigital asset mining business.\u201d<\/p>\n
HB 263 is relevant for tracking state-level crypto mining policy because it shows how lawmakers may combine digital asset mining law with large-load utility oversight and data center energy disclosure. The bill\u2019s failure means it is a historical proposal rather than an operative compliance regime. Any future Montana proposal should be reviewed separately against its own introduced text, committee actions, and enacted status.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Failed 2025 Montana bill that would have required data centers and digital asset mining businesses to report annual electricity-use data to state bodies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1652,"featured_media":541014,"template":"","meta":[],"crypto_law_jurisdiction":[81473],"crypto_law_topic":[81866,81870,81513],"crypto_law_status":[81540],"crypto_law_type":[81545],"crypto_law_actor":[82323,82318,82322,82324],"crypto_law_asset_class":[81635],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n