Maine seeks AI data‑centre pause

Maine lawmakers have approved a statewide pause on new large data centers, sending a first-in-the-nation moratorium bill to Governor Janet Mills. (nytimes.com) The bill, LD 307, would bar state agencies, towns and quasi-public entities from approving data centers with electric loads of 20 megawatts or more until November 1, 2027. Representative Melanie Sachs, a Democrat from Freeport, sponsored the measure. (maine.gov) Maine’s Senate took its final vote on April 14, 2026, after the House backed the bill earlier, and the proposal now awaits Mills’s signature or veto. The bill also creates a Maine Data Center Coordination Council and directs it to report back to lawmakers by February 1, 2027. (route-fifty.com) A data center is a warehouse of servers, and the largest artificial intelligence sites can draw as much electricity as a small city. Maine lawmakers said they want time to study how projects that size would affect the grid, power bills, land use and water demand before more permits are issued. (mainepublic.org) The push accelerated after several proposals surfaced in Maine, including projects in Sanford and Jay and plans tied to the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. Maine House Democrats said the state has no large-scale data centers operating now, but recent proposals have raised pressure on local officials. (maine.gov) Backers pointed to states where utility regulators and residents have fought over who pays for new transmission lines, substations and backup power for server farms. Inside Climate News reported that about a dozen states have introduced similar bills, but Maine’s is the first to clear a legislature. (insideclimatenews.org) Opponents said a statewide halt could block investment in mill towns and other sites looking for new industry. Maine Public reported that Mills wants an exemption for a proposed $550 million data center project at the former Androscoggin paper mill in Jay if the bill is to win her support. (mainepublic.org) The fight in Maine lands as cloud companies and artificial intelligence developers race to lock up power across the United States, while local governments weigh tax revenue against rising electricity demand. Mills now decides whether Maine becomes the first state to put that expansion on hold through late 2027. (abcnews.go.com)