Maine Governor Janet Mills, who is currently locked in a bitter Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat, will have to decide in the coming days whether to sign or veto the nation’s first-ever ban on AI data centers.
Earlier this week, Maine’s state legislature became the first in the country to pass a temporary moratorium on data centers above a certain size. The ban would last for over a year, and the legislation would also create a council for vetting proposed projects at the town level.
And yet, no state has yet managed to ban the construction of data centers, even for a limited period of time. Maine is not a particular hotspot for AI power sources, at least not yet—but backlash against the controversial energy hubs was sufficient in the independent-minded, nature-loving state to see a ban sail through both chambers of the state legislature with little resistance.
Now, Governor Mills will have to choose whether to sign the moratorium into law, or potentially veto it. Last week, Mills told reporters she wanted an exemption in the legislation for a proposed $550 million data center in Jay, a small town in the center of the state.
"The people of Jay need those jobs, with appropriate guardrails on preserving water resources, electricity resources, local generation, and all those things," the governor said.
Such an exemption was not included in the moratorium the state legislature ultimately passed.
Representatives for Mills did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
