Maine is now the first state to pass a moratorium on the development of large data centers, and others may follow.
The Maine House and Senate this week passed LD 307, which prohibits state and local governments from approving data centers with at least 20 megawatts of electricity demand until at least October 2027. The bill awaits a signature from Governor Janet Mills, who has not commented on whether she will sign it.
Maine is one of about a dozen states with legislative proposals this year to pause or ban data centers amid rising concerns about the projects’ size and energy and water consumption. Community opponents of data centers are grappling with what they view as intrusive development as the broader public worries that the rise of artificial intelligence — fueled by data centers — will lead to mass job losses.
Analysts who follow state-level discussions of data centers say Minnesota is also a good candidate to pass a bill on this subject, along with Illinois, even though there is not yet a bill pending in Illinois.<... Read more
