Maine Lawmakers Approve Yearlong Freeze on Data Centers Above 20 Megawatts

Maine lawmakers approved a yearlong freeze on energy-hungry data centers, a move AP described as potentially the nation’s first statewide moratorium on “energy-hungry data centers.”

“Maine is on the verge of becoming the first state in the nation to slam the brakes on energy-hungry AI data centers, as lawmakers push back against tech giants over fears of higher power bills, strained grids and environmental impact”

930 WFMD Free Talk

The measure was approved “on Tuesday” and sent to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who AP said is running for U.S. Senate, while Mills’ office “did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether she plans to sign the bill.”

930 WFMD Free Talk

The legislation targets large facilities, with the AP and other outlets describing a pause on data centers above a certain size, and 930 WFMD and The Maine Monitor specifying “more than 20 megawatts of power.”

930 WFMD reported the bill would pause approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power “until October 2027,” while The Washington Post said the measure would halt creation of new data centers that draw more than 20 megawatts of power “until fall 2027.”

The Portland Press Herald put the timeline in more concrete permitting terms, saying the bill LD 307 would prevent the state, local governments and quasi-governmental agencies from issuing permits or other approvals “until November 2027.”

The Maine Monitor described the moratorium as “an 18-month moratorium on new data centers harnessing more than 20 megawatts of power,” framing it as “an attempt to buy time and study how the power-hungry facilities affect the electrical grid.”

Across outlets, the political context was consistent: the legislation arose after “intense community backlash,” and it moved quickly through Maine’s “Democratic-controlled Legislature,” with AP saying it was propelled by proposals that generated opposition in multiple communities.

The freeze is structured around a power threshold and a study process, with multiple outlets describing both the pause and the creation of a council to evaluate impacts.

930 WFMD said the measure would “pause approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027,” and it added that “a state-appointed council studies their impact on the power grid, energy bills and the environment.”

AP News

The Maine Monitor similarly said the bill would enact “an 18-month moratorium” and “create a task force time to study risks and benefits,” while The Portland Press Herald described a “new Data Center Coordination Council” created in the bill to “study the centers’ potential impact in Maine and issue policy recommendations.”

The Portland Press Herald also tied the moratorium to permitting authority, saying the bill LD 307 would “prevent the state, local governments and quasi-governmental agencies from issuing permits or other approvals until November 2027.”

CNN described the bill as a “temporary ban on new, large data centers,” and it quoted Maine lawmaker Melanie Sachs saying, “Once I put the bill in, they started coming out of the woodwork,” as two projects surfaced in different Maine communities.

CNN also emphasized that local permitting for these projects was “nonexistent,” quoting Sachs: “In rural communities, whether it’s Maine or somewhere else, local permitting for these projects is nonexistent.”

The Maine Monitor added that the bill’s passage came with a political fight over exceptions, noting that Gov. Janet Mills “had pushed for an amendment that would allow for a small data center in the town of Jay.”

The bill’s legislative path and its contested exemption for Jay were central to how outlets described the measure’s prospects.

“- Maine is set to pass a bill pausing new data centers until late 2027”

Business Insider

930 WFMD reported the bill passed the state’s Democrat-controlled House “79-62” and Senate “21-13,” sending it to Gov. Janet Mills, while The Portland Press Herald said the House voted “79-62” and the Senate voted “21-13” later that evening.

The Maine Monitor said Mills pushed for an amendment to allow a small data center in Jay, and it quoted Mills saying, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there needs to be a carveout for Jay. Jay needs those jobs, with appropriate guardrails for conserving water resources, electricity resources,” which it attributed to April 10.

The Portland Press Herald added that Mills expressed concerns that the measure “does not include a carveout for a data center proposal in Jay,” and it said “It’s not clear whether she plans to support the measure without the Jay exception.”

Maine Public reported that Mills said the measure “needs to have an exemption for a proposed $550 million project at the former Androscoggin paper mill in Jay,” and it quoted Mills: “The people of Jay need those jobs, with appropriate guardrails on preserving water resources, electricity resources, local generation and all those things.”

Maine Public also described the Jay project’s industrial context, saying “The mill developer plans to use the mill's existing hydropower and connections to the electric grid,” and it reported that “The mill, which employed 230 people, closed in 2023.”

In contrast, CNN and AP framed the bill as a response to local information gaps and rapid project timelines, with CNN quoting Sachs: “The communities didn’t know anything about it at all.”

The debate over Maine’s moratorium drew sharply different voices about whether data centers would help or harm residents, and outlets captured both sides’ arguments.

AP quoted Democratic Rep. Melanie Sachs, who sponsored the measure, saying, “It’s not that there’s no place for data centers in Maine,” and adding, “Frankly, the tradeoffs have not been shown to be of benefit to our ratepayers, water usage or community benefit in terms of economic activity.”

CNN

AP also quoted Dan Diorio of the Data Center Coalition, saying, “It says that the state is willing to essentially put a blanket ban on you if it decides that you may be politically unfavorable,” and Diorio argued the moratorium could deter developers and deprive Maine of a “long-term economic development anchor.”

930 WFMD reported that critics argued the pause could drive away “investment and jobs,” while it quoted Montana Towers of the Maine Policy Institute saying, “We think that these data centers could bring good jobs, good opportunities to these regions,” and that “a lot of these concerns about them are luddite in nature.”

CNN presented the Data Center Coalition’s position through a statement, saying the industry “provides significant benefits to states and local communities” in the form of “local jobs, investment and tax revenue.”

CNN also included a warning from Diorio that a moratorium would “send a signal that the state is closed for business,” and it quoted Diorio: “A state moratorium on data centers would discourage further investment, both from the data center industry and other advanced industries that depend on predictability and a welcoming business climate.”

On the other side, Food & Water Watch’s Mitch Jones issued a statement urging Mills to sign, saying, “Great credit to the people and state legislators of Maine for being at the forefront of a large and swelling national movement” and quoting his criticism that “These massive facilities suck up unimaginable amounts of water and electricity.”

Maine’s action is being treated by outlets as part of a broader national push and pushback over AI infrastructure, with multiple reports describing other states’ efforts and the possibility of ballot measures.

AP said proposals to slap a moratorium on data centers have been introduced “in at least a dozen states,” but “other than Maine’s, none have even passed a legislative chamber,” and it described analysts warning of “the possibility of blackouts in the mid-Atlantic grid in the coming years.”

Food & Water Watch

930 WFMD added that “At least 11 other states are considering restrictions like Maine’s,” and it said Maine’s bill is the first to pass both legislative chambers, “potentially setting a precedent.”

Business Insider similarly framed Maine as potentially the first to succeed, saying “Maine could be the first state to successfully call a timeout on the AI race,” and it reported that “The US has 4,000 data centers, and 3,000 either proposed or under construction, according to the American Edge Project.”

The Maine Monitor described additional local and state efforts, including that “On April 8, Port Washington, Wisconsin, was the first city to pass an anti-data center referendum,” and it said “Several other states and cities are also considering legislation on data centers.”

AP also described Ohio residents trying to bypass the Legislature and get a measure on the ballot in November, saying they’ll need to gather “more than 400,000 voter signatures by July 1,” and it quoted Austin Baurichter warning that without action officials and developers could “make this state a virtually unbroken field of data centers.”

CNN added that “Nationally, more than 140 local groups around the country have managed to block or delay more than $60 billion worth of investment in US data center projects in a little over a year,” citing Data Center Watch.