Maine Governor Vetoes Bill To Pause New Data Center Projects
Maine Governor Janet Mills vetoed LD 307 this week, blocking a temporary statewide pause on large data-center permits and setting up a fight over energy, water and a proposed $550 million redevelopment in Jay.
The bill would have halted approvals until November 2027 and created a Maine Data Center Coordination Council to study energy use and environmental impacts. Lawmakers sent the measure to the governor in April without the exemption she requested for a $550 million plan to convert the shuttered Androscoggin Mill in Jay.
The episode traces back to 2023, when Pixelle Specialty Solutions closed the Androscoggin Mill in Jay after a 2020 explosion, costing more than 230 jobs and devastating the local economy. National demand for cloud and artificial intelligence services pushed new data-center proposals into Maine, including a $300 million project at Lewiston's Bates Mill that city councilors unanimously rejected in December 2025. Lawmakers debated LD 307 as concern grew about data centers' energy and water needs, and about limited long-term job gains for towns that could host them. U.S. data centers used about 176 terawatt-hours in 2023, roughly 4.4% of national electricity, while Maine generated about 15 million megawatt-hours in 2024 with 57% from renewables.
Environmental advocates hailed the bill as a necessary pause to study grid and water effects, while business and some local officials warned a moratorium would stall jobs and investment. Online reaction was fierce, with some users saying the veto could hurt Mills' political future and others accusing opponents of burying her name in coverage.
📊 Relevant Data
The proposed data center in Jay, Maine, for which Governor Mills sought an exemption, is a $550 million project to redevelop the site of the former Androscoggin Mill, which closed in 2023 following a digester explosion.
Maine Moves to Pause Data Centers Before Demand Arrives — ENR
The vetoed bill, LD 307, would have established a Maine Data Center Coordination Council to study and recommend regulations on data centers, focusing on their energy consumption and environmental impact during the moratorium period.
As Gov. Mills weighs data center ban, projects mixed on what the impact would be — Maine Morning Star
U.S. data centers consumed approximately 176 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, accounting for about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity use.
Data Centers and Their Energy Consumption — Congressional Research Service
Maine's net electricity generation in 2024 was approximately 15 million megawatt-hours, with renewable sources providing 57% of the total.
Maine Electricity Profile 2024 — U.S. Energy Information Administration
📌 Key Facts
- Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a data-center moratorium bill on Friday
- The bill would have paused large data-center projects in Maine until November 2027
- Maine’s Democratic-majority legislature had passed the bill earlier this month
- Mills had sought an exemption for at least one specific data-center site, which was not included
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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