SRMED
Englishعربي
Englishعربي
Maine Governor Janet Mills on Friday vetoed legislation that would have created the nation's first statewide moratorium on data center construction, blocking a bill that enjoyed support from environmental advocates and lawmakers concerned about the technology's impact on electricity costs and natural resources.
The vetoed bill, L.D. 307, would have temporarily halted new data center projects until November 2027. Mills said in her veto letter that she supports the concept of a moratorium, acknowledging that massive data centers in other states have raised legitimate concerns about environmental damage and electricity rate increases. However, she could not sign the legislation because it failed to include an exemption for a specific data center project underway in Jay, a town in southern Maine that has struggled economically since the closure of the Androscoggin Mill in 2023.
The Jay project represents a critical economic opportunity for a region that has faced significant hardship. Mills characterized the mill closure as dealing "a devastating blow to the Town of Jay and its surrounding area," and emphasized that the proposed data center enjoys strong local support from both the host community and the surrounding region. By vetoing the blanket moratorium, the governor prioritized the economic revitalization needs of this struggling industrial town over a statewide pause on data center development.
While rejecting the broad moratorium, Mills did take action to address concerns about data center expansion. She signed L.D. 713, which prohibits data center projects from accessing Maine's business development tax incentive programs. This measure targets future projects while allowing the Jay facility to proceed, striking what Mills appeared to view as a necessary balance between environmental and economic concerns.
The veto represents a setback for environmental advocates and legislators who have grown increasingly concerned about data centers' voracious appetite for electricity and their associated environmental costs. The failed effort underscores the challenge states face in implementing comprehensive restrictions on data center development when economic pressures and local interests diverge from broader policy goals.