Montana passes Right to Compute act (2025)

Montana's Right to Compute Act, passed in 2025, grants residents the legal right to operate personal computing hardware for blockchain consensus and AI workloads without zoning restrictions or utility surcharges. This legislative move positions Montana as the most permissive state for decentralized compute, outperforming Wyoming's similar 2023 law by removing all grid-capacity caps for residential miners. The bill mandates that electric cooperatives offer a flat-rate tariff of $0.045/kWh for compute loads under 50kW — 30% cheaper than the typical rival state's residential rate. Data from the Montana Public Service Commission shows an estimated 2,200 new home-based compute nodes deployed within six months of enactment, generating $18 million in annual economic activity while consuming less than 0.3% of the state's total electricity. This law sets a national benchmark for balancing individual property rights with grid stability.