Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have temporarily halted permits for new data centers, sparing the state from becoming the first in the nation to impose such a moratorium. L.D. 307, had it become law, would have frozen data center construction until November 1, 2027, and created a 13-person council to study the issue. Other states, including New York, have considered similar pauses amid rising public opposition.
In her veto letter, Mills - a Democrat currently running for the U.S. Senate - acknowledged that a moratorium would be “appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates.” She even said she “would have signed this bill” if it had exempted a specific data center project in the Town of Jay, which she noted “enjoys strong local support from its host community and region.”
Democratic state Representative Melanie Sachs, who sponsored the bill, was less amused. She warned that Mills’ veto “poses significant potential consequences for all ratepayers, our electric grid, our environment, and our shared energy future.” So much for that bipartisan moment.