Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed legislation that would have paused construction of large data centers in the state until fall 2027. The bill, which passed both chambers of the Maine legislature on April 14, targeted facilities consuming 20 megawatts of power or more and would have required the creation of a state coordination council.

Mills objected to the bill because it lacked an exemption for an existing data center project in Jay, Maine. While rejecting the legislation, she indicated she would sign an executive order to establish a similar council. Additionally, she signed LD 713, which bars data centers from participating in Maine's business development tax incentive programs.

Maine isn't alone in grappling with data center growth. At least 12 other states are pursuing similar moratoriums, including New York where lawmakers recently introduced a three-year construction block. At the federal level, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez support even broader restrictions that would halt both new construction and facility upgrades.

This state-level resistance directly conflicts with the Trump administration's push to accelerate AI infrastructure development nationwide. The administration has called for streamlining the process of building and powering data centers, creating a clear tension between local regulatory efforts and federal policy goals.