Maine's Democratic-controlled legislature has advanced LD 307, the nation's first statewide moratorium on large data centers, blocking permits for facilities requiring more than 20 megawatts until November 2027. The pause is driven by concerns that the AI boom is straining Maine's aging electrical grid and driving up electricity costs in a state already paying the highest residential power rates in the US. A Data Center Coordination Council will study the grid impact during the moratorium. Several projects are now in limbo, including sites in Jay, Sanford, and Loring Air Force Base. Counties in Michigan and Indiana have enacted similar local pauses, and the precedent could spread nationally as data centers now consume roughly 4% of US electricity — a figure projected to double by 2030.
Sort: