LD 307

In a move that would’ve been a first for any state in the country, LD 307 proposed instituting a temporary, targeted pause on the construction of large-scale data center facilities, with a projected electric demand of 20-or-more megawatts. In addition to the pause, this bill would’ve established the Maine Data Center Coordination Council within the state’s Department of Energy Resources to assess the potential risks and benefits of data center development in Maine and identify policy tools to insulate ratepayers from rising costs, ensure grid reliability, and minimize impacts to air, water, and land. 

Behind the Roll Call

With deep grassroots support from Mainers across the state and extensive coverage from local and national media outlets, LD 307 dominated discussion during the last few weeks of the session. 
Following a 2025 report from the Maine Artificial Intelligence Task Force, convened by Gov. Mills to understand the implications of AI advancements on Maine, Rep. Melanie Sachs sponsored LD 307 to establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council – an advisory council made up of state agency staff, utility representatives, an environmental advocate, and a tribal representative – to assess the risks and opportunities posed by data centers and develop a regulatory framework to mitigate potential impacts to the environment, the electrical grid, and electricity customers.

After listening to testimony in committee, Rep. Sachs amended her bill to include a temporary moratorium on large-scale data centers, facilities with a projected demand of 20 megawatts or more, to ensure development didn’t outpace the work of the Council. The amended bill received bipartisan support, with six House Republicans joining Democrats to advance the bill, including Reps. William Tuell and John Eder, who gave floor speeches, highlighting the need to protect Maine’s heritage industries from potential impacts.

Gov. Mills signaled her support for the bill, provided that there was an exemption from the moratorium for the town of Jay. Developers were planning a data center at the site of the former Androscoggin Mill. The mill closed in 2023, taking with it hundreds of jobs and  a major source of tax revenue for the town. Lawmakers had little appetite to exempt specific communities or projects, and the amendment to spare the Jay project failed by a vote of 115-29 in the House. LD 307 passed both chambers, with bipartisan support, but Gov. Mills vetoed the bill to allow the project in Jay to proceed. There weren’t enough votes to override her veto. Developers unceremoniously pulled out of the project with no explanation in June. Still concerned about the impacts of data centers, the governor issued an executive order to set up a Data Center Advisory Council. However, in a departure from the original bill, the governor included two private-sector industry representatives. MCV remains committed to protecting communities and people from data centers and is working to pass moratoriums at the local level and develop legislation for the 133rd legislative session.