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Maine Lawmakers Set Veto Vote on Data Center Moratorium
The vote could block or preserve projects in Jay and Sanford, while supporters say the moratorium would protect electricity rates and natural resources.
- On April 24, Governor Janet Mills vetoed LD 307, a bill that would have banned data centers larger than 20 megawatts until November 2027, marking the nation's first such moratorium.
- Seeking to revitalize the shuttered Androscoggin Mill in Jay, Mills argued the moratorium would block a redevelopment project expected to create more than 800 construction jobs and at least 100 permanent positions.
- Bill sponsor Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, criticized the veto as "simply wrong," noting the Maine Artificial Intelligence Task Force explicitly recommended a planning period for data center development.
- Lawmakers will attempt to overturn the veto on Wednesday, though the bill lacks the necessary two-thirds majority to succeed in the Legislature.
- With a dozen other states considering similar restrictions, national media coverage highlights Maine's legislation as a flashpoint in the emerging debate over artificial intelligence and data center development.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Commentary: Backlash is creating a data center buildability crisis
The Maine Legislature has passed the first statewide moratorium on data center construction in the country. Due to concerns about the effect on the grid and the environment, lawmakers want to pause mid-size and larger buildouts while the state studies the effects. The new law is a clear sign that political sentiment is shifting. States that once competed to attract data centers are starting to question if they can withstand the surge in energy …
Jay data center can proceed after clearing legislative hurdle
The Pixelle Specialty Solutions paper mill in Jay, pictured here in 2022, closed in 2023, but developers have proposed building a data center there. Photo by Troy R. Bennett of the Bangor Daily News.JAY — Town and school officials got their wish Wednesday when the Maine Legislature sustained Gov. Janet Mills’ veto of a bill that would have halted plans to redevelop the former Androscoggin Mill site as a data center. On what is known as “Veto Day…
Despite initial support, Legislature fails to override Mills’ veto of landmark data center ban • Maine Morning Star
A complex of data centers in Ashburn, Va. (Photo by Gerville/Getty Images)Maine lawmakers on Wednesday failed to override Gov. Janet Mills’ veto of what would have been the nation’s first statewide data center moratorium. After Mills vetoed the bill Friday, the House of Representatives took up the legislation again, voting 72-65 on the bill, failing to secure two-thirds of lawmaker support needed to override the governor’s action. LD 307 would…
Janet Mills successfully vetoes bills on data centers and sealing criminal records
Mills said she supported an 18-month pause on new data centers but wanted an exemption for a project in Jay. She also successfully vetoed a bill to automatically seal the criminal records of many misdemeanor offenders.
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