Maine Lawmakers Uphold Mills’ Surprise Veto of AI Datacenter Moratorium

The Maine Legislature recently voted to uphold Governor Janet Mills' surprise veto of LD 307, a bill that sought to implement a temporary moratorium on the construction of AI data centers statewide. During 'veto day' proceedings, the House of Representatives voted 72-65 to overturn Governor Mills' decision; however, this fell short of the two-thirds majority necessary to override a gubernatorial veto. The vote largely followed party lines, with Republicans generally supporting the veto and Democrats opposing it, though some members crossed party lines. Governor Mills had announced her veto of LD 307 earlier, expressing concerns that a moratorium could negatively affect a data center project planned for the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay. She stated that she would have signed the bill if it had included an exemption for this specific project. The Senate also upheld another of Mills' vetoes, regarding a bill on automatically sealing criminal records, indicating a similar legislative dynamic.