FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2026
CONTACT: Gabe Cole, Communications Manager, gabe@maineconservation.org, (610) 574-5141
Governor Mills vetoes bill to pause large-scale AI data center development in Maine
LD 307 would’ve implemented a temporary pause on large-scale data centers, with a projected electricity demand of 20 megawatts or more.
AUGUSTA, ME – Earlier today, Governor Janet Mills vetoed LD 307: A Resolve to Establish the Maine Artificial Intelligence Data Center Coordination Council, siding with AI data center developers over the bipartisan will of the Maine Legislature, which voted to enact this bill late last week.
LD 307 would have imposed a temporary, targeted pause on the construction of large-scale data center facilities, with a projected electric demand of 20-or-more megawatts.
In addition to the pause, this bill would have established an advisory council, known as the Maine Data Center Coordination Council, within the state’s Department of Energy Resources to assess the potential risks and benefits of AI data center development to Maine. The goal was to provide recommendations to insulate consumers from rising costs and increased electricity demand associated with AI data centers and to minimize environmental impacts on water, land use, and pollution. In her veto letter, Governor Mills expressed support for the council and intends to establish a commission by Executive Order to support this work.
Maine has seen significant local opposition to data center development. Late last year, both Wiscasset and Lewiston rejected separate data center proposals in response to public outcry from residents.
Statement of Maureen Drouin, Executive Director for Maine Conservation Voters:
“Governor Mills has sided with large-scale data center developers over safeguards for Maine people and the environment, leaving communities at risk to higher energy prices and more pollution. Across the country, the development of large-scale data centers has far outpaced the ability of policy and lawmakers to properly regulate them and establish sensible protections. Maine had a chance to push pause and establish the right regulatory framework to protect its people, their wallets, and the environment from polluting, resource-hungry data centers. This veto flies in the face of that responsibility and the bipartisan will of the Maine Legislature, passing the buck to the next Governor to rein in large-scale data centers after they’ve arrived.”
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