Maine Governor Votes Data Center Moratorium

Maine Governor Janet Mills has blocked a bill that would have temporarily halted permits for new data centers.

if it were the law, Picture of LD307 it would establish the first in the world to stop a new data center – lasting, for now, until November 1, 2027. The bill also called for the creation of a 13-person commission to study and give recommendations on the construction of the data center.

I am public opposition to data centers rise, other countries including New York have considered similar restrictions.

In letter in the state legislature, Mills – a Democrat who is running for the US Senate – said that stopping a new data center “would be appropriate based on the effects of large data centers in other areas on the environment and electricity” and that “if he had signed this bill” it would have included the release of the data project in the Town of Jay.

The project, Mills said, “enjoys strong local and community support.”

Melanie Sachs, a Democratic state representative who sponsored the bill, said Mills’ veto “It has huge implications for all ratepayers, our electric grid, our infrastructure, and our shared energy future.”