Maine Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Have Paused New Data Centers

Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) vetoed legislation that would have blocked new data centers in the state until November 2027. The moratorium would have made Maine the first state in the nation to create such a hurdle for the booming artificial intelligence industry. Gov Mills, who is running for U.S. Senate, said that while she believed a moratorium was appropriate, given the negative effects of data centers elsewhere in the country, she could not endorse the measure because it did not include an exemption she had requested for a long-planned project in Jay, Maine. The data center in Jay is planned for the site of a vacant mill, whose closure in 2023 “dealt a devastating blow to the town of Jay and its surrounding area,” said Gov Mills said. Noting that she had long lived in the area, she added, “I know well how critical the mill was to generations of working families.” The governor said she intends to establish a council to examine the impact of data centers in Maine; the failed legislation had called for something similar.