Maine House sustains data center moratorium veto

The Maine House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to sustain Governor Janet Mills' veto of a bill proposing a temporary statewide moratorium on data center development. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport), aimed to pause data center construction to allow a task force to study their impacts on water quality and electricity prices. Governor Mills, who is running for the U.S. Senate, vetoed the bill to ensure a specific $550 million data center project in Jay, Franklin County, could move forward. This project is slated for the former Androscoggin Mill site and is expected to create over 800 temporary construction jobs and 100 permanent positions, a critical reinvestment for the brownfield site, according to the governor. She expressed her commitment to supporting job creation in Franklin County, where she is a long-time resident. Despite opposition from some fellow Democrats who supported Sachs's call for foresight and preparation, the House vote of 72-65 fell short of the 101 votes required to override the veto. Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) supported sustaining the veto, noting that proponents of the bill had the opportunity to include a carveout for the Jay project but chose not to. Following the sustained veto, Governor Mills announced her intention to sign an executive order establishing a commission to study the impacts of data centers, an initiative that was part of the original bill.