Board gets thanks for eying data center temp ban
Wiscasset residents thanked the town's selectboard for considering a temporary ban, or moratorium, on new data center applications. The board is proposing a 180-day moratorium to allow time to update town ordinances and understand the potential impacts of data centers, following an inquiry from a prospective developer. The proposal is expected to be voted on for the November ballot.
Residents of Wiscasset, Maine, have expressed gratitude to the town's selectboard for considering a temporary moratorium on data center applications. The move comes after a year of local concern sparked by an inquiry from an unnamed prospective data center developer for a site on Old Ferry Road, though that specific proposal is no longer planned.
Selectman Heather Jones proposed the moratorium, citing resident concerns heard during her campaign. She stated its purpose is to allow the town time to understand the full impacts of data centers and update ordinances to manage them. Other board members, including Chair Alyssa Eason and Selectman Sarah Whitfield, supported the proposal, noting that town legal counsel deemed it