Maine governor vetoes data center moratorium bill

Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have halted construction of large data centers in the state until fall 2027. The legislation passed both houses of the Maine legislature on April 14. The bill blocked construction of data centers consuming 20 megawatts of power or more and would have created a Maine Data Center Coordination Council to evaluate policy tools for addressing data center opportunities and risks. Mills had suggested she would support a temporary moratorium but wanted an exemption for an existing data center project in Jay, Maine. Mills said she would sign an executive order calling for the creation of a council similar to the one proposed in the bill. She also signed LD 713, a bill that prohibits data centers from participating in Maine's business development tax incentive programs. At least 12 other states are exploring similar legislation. In New York, lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would block construction of new data centers for at least three years. At the federal level, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed a bill that would create a moratorium on new data center construction and upgrades to existing facilities.