Maine Governor vetoes data center moratorium

Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have temporarily halted permits for new data centers.

If it had become law, LD 307 would have imposed the first statewide ban on new data centers — lasting, in this case, through Nov. 1, 2027. The bill also called for the creation of a 13-person board to study and make recommendations on data center construction.

As public opposition to data centers has grown, other states, including New York, have considered imposing similar moratoriums.

In a letter to the state Legislature, Mills — a Democrat currently running for U.S. Senate — said a pause on new data centers would be “appropriate given the impacts of large data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates,” and that she “would have signed this bill” if it included an exception for a data center project in Jay Township.

This project “has strong local support from the host community and the region,” Mills said.

Melanie Sachs, the Democratic state representative who sponsored the bill, said Mills’ veto “poses significant potential consequences for all taxpayers, our electric grid, our environment, and our shared energy future.”