Nation's First State Data Center Moratorium Vetoed by Maine Governor
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.
PORTLAND, Maine, April 24, 2026 (AP) — Maine's Democratic governor on Friday vetoed what would have been the country's first state moratorium on the construction of data centers.
Broadband Breakfast
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.
Broadband Breakfast
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.
