Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have halted the construction of large data centers in the state until the end of 2027. While the bill passed both houses of the Maine Legislature on April 14, and Mills has suggested she would support a temporary moratorium, the Governor wanted a bill that would exempt the existing data center project in Jay, Maine.
The bill specifically blocks the construction of data centers that consume 20 megawatts of power or more and directs state agencies and other entities not to issue permits unless proposed projects fall within those energy needs. Passing the bill would also require the creation of a “Maine Data Center Coordinating Council” that would “provide strategic input, facilitate coordinated state planning ideas and evaluate policy tools to address data center opportunities and the associated benefits and risks for the state.”
While Mills defeated this attempt at data center regulation, she said she would sign an executive order to create the council proposed in the bill. He also signed LD 713, a bill that bars data centers from participating in Maine’s business development tax incentive programs.
Maine is far from the only state to impose restrictions or temporary blocks on data centers. At least 12 other states are also exploring similar legislation, such as New York, where lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would halt the construction of new data centers for at least three years. At the federal level, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) supported a bill that would not only prohibit new data center construction, but also prohibit any upgrades to existing facilities.
Any desire to slow down AI development or the infrastructure that makes it possible runs contrary to the demands of tech companies and the approach of the Trump administration, which is actively encouraging rapid AI buildout in the US. President Donald Trump’s recent AI framework in March also called for streamlining the process of building and powering data centers.
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