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Maine governor vetoes nation's first proposed statewide data center moratorium

2026-04-25 13:08

Governor Janet Mills vetoed LD 307 on April 24, 2026, blocking what would have been the country's first statewide moratorium on new data center construction — the bill had passed both chambers and would have halted permits for facilities over 20 MW until November 2027. Mills said she supports a moratorium in principle but vetoed because the bill lacked an exemption for a $550M redevelopment of the shuttered Androscoggin Mill in Jay, which is expected to create over 800 construction jobs and restore 22% of the town's lost tax base. She signed a separate bill (LD 713) barring data centers from state tax incentives and announced she will issue an executive order creating a study council on data center impacts. TechCrunch and Bloomberg both reported the veto as reflecting the broader tension between growing public opposition to data centers and local economic development interests.

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