Inside one Maine community’s fight against an underwater AI data center
Residents in Eastport, Maine, are opposing a proposed underwater AI data center by DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC, citing environmental risks and potential strain on the power grid. They urged the City Council to enact a moratorium, but the council declined to vote, instead sending a letter of objection. This local action comes as Governor Janet Mills vetoed a statewide data center moratorium bill, though a new state council has been formed to evaluate future policy.
In Eastport, Maine, residents are actively opposing a proposed underwater artificial intelligence data center planned by DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC in the Bay of Fundy's Western Passage. At a City Council meeting on May 13, residents, including Birdy Velveteen and Suellen Hendrix, voiced concerns over potential risks to local waters, wetlands protected by Maine's Shoreland Zoning Act, and the strain the facility could place on Eastport's power grid. They also questioned the project's economic benefits. Louis Wolfson, developer for DeepGreen, has expressed a desire for local cooperation and environmental stewardship.
Residents pressed the City Council to enact a temporary moratorium on the project, with Deborah Gillespie drafting a sample ordinance. However, councilors declined to vote on a moratorium, stating it was too early in the development phase. Instead, the council voted to send a letter to DeepGreen expressing their objection to the project, mirroring similar opposition from the Washington County Commission.
This local struggle occurs amidst broader state-level discussions on data center development. Governor Janet Mills recently vetoed a bill that would have imposed a statewide moratorium on data center projects, citing concerns about its impact on a specific redevelopment project in Jay, Maine, involving JGT2 Redevelopment and Sentinel Data Centers. Following the veto, several other Maine communities, including Lewiston and Scarborough, have enacted their own temporary moratoriums. Governor Mills subsequently signed an executive order establishing a state council to evaluate policy tools for large-scale data center projects, which is slated to report its findings by January 29, 2027.