Eastport united in opposition to underwater data center proposal
Residents of Eastport, Maine, are strongly opposing a proposal by DeepGreen Western Passage to build a submerged data center in Passamaquoddy Bay. Concerns include thermal pollution, harm to marine life and local industries, and the project's energy and water demands. Following a successful petition drive, local ordinances to ban or regulate data centers are now before the City Council.
DeepGreen Western Passage, a company led by Louis Wolfson, has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a permit to explore the feasibility of submerging a data center in Johnson Cove, off Eastport, Maine, within Passamaquoddy Bay. The proposed facility would use ocean water for cooling and leverage the bay's 22-foot tides to generate up to 15 megawatts of electricity for a "behind the meter" operation.
News of the plan has sparked widespread opposition among Eastport's 1,300 year-round residents, summer residents, tribal representatives, and local business owners. Concerns center on potential thermal pollution harming lobsters and other marine life, negative impacts on the local fishing and tourism industries, and the general environmental footprint of data centers. Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth expressed skepticism about the plan's feasibility, while Wolfson described it as a "climate and decarbonization initiative" in its early, analytical stages.
Local residents, including Suellen Hendrix and Deborah Gillespie, quickly organized to fight the proposal, forming a committee and successfully collecting signatures for a petition drive. This effort resulted in two proposed ordinances now before the Eastport City Council: one to ban data centers larger than 25,000 square feet and another requiring citizen referendums for large development projects, along with new local zoning regulations. A recent public hearing on the measures drew nearly 200 people, with speakers from across the political spectrum urging the council to adopt the ordinances.
The Eastport City Council is now tasked with deciding whether to adopt the ordinances as presented, amend them, or send them to voters as a ballot referendum in November. Opponents have vowed to continue their fight against the data center proposal as long as necessary, highlighting a united community front against the project.