Nation's first state moratorium on data centers vetoed by Maine's
governor
[April 25, 2026] By
PATRICK WHITTLE and MARC LEVY
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's Democratic governor on Friday vetoed what
would have been the country's first state moratorium on the construction
of data centers.
The bill passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature would have
instituted a moratorium for more than a year on data centers above a
certain size and created a special council to help towns vet potential
projects. But Gov. Janet Mills said she vetoed the bill because it
failed to include a carve out for a project in the town of Jay that
would bring needed jobs to a community that has struggled since the
closure of a local mill.
Proposals to impose a moratorium on data centers have been introduced in
at least a dozen states, but other than Maine’s, none had even passed a
legislative chamber. Such bills have faced opposition from data center
developers, chambers of commerce, tech giants, labor unions and electric
utilities.
Mills said she plans to issue an executive order to create a council to
examine the impact of data centers.
“I believe it necessary and important to examine and plan for the
potential impacts of large-scale data centers in Maine, as the use of
artificial intelligence becomes more widespread. Given the serious
conversations about data centers here and around the country, I believe
this work should commence without delay,” she said in a statement.
A handful of counties and municipalities in the U.S. have imposed a
moratorium, and opponents of moratoriums at the state level say
municipal officials are best suited to decide whether to allow a data
center in their towns or not.
Mills' decision to veto the Maine moratorium drew backlash from her own
party, including from the Democratic state representative who sponsored
the bill and from groups that encourage a conservative approach to data
centers. Rep. Melanie Sachs, the bill sponsor, said in a statement that
the governor is “resisting the will of a majority of Maine people” with
the veto.
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The Douglas County Google Data Center complex is seen, Friday, March
6, 2026, in Lithia Springs, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
 “While a veto might protect the
proposed data center project in Jay, it poses significant potential
consequences for all ratepayers, our electric grid, our environment,
and our shared energy future. This decision is simply wrong,” Sachs
said.
Resistance to data center proposals has risen swiftly in many
communities amid high-level support for artificial intelligence,
tech firms and the data centers they are building. President Donald
Trump’s administration and many governors tout them as a top
economic and national security priority that are essential to
winning the artificial intelligence race with China.
Still, voters are raising concerns about the enormous amount of
power data centers use while analysts are warning of the possibility
of blackouts in the mid-Atlantic grid in the coming years.
___
Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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