Maine lawmakers passed the nation’s first statewide ban on large data centers April 14 in what they say is an attempt to buy time and study how the power-hungry facilities affect the electrical grid.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. The Douglas County Google Data Center complex is ...

Legislators in Maine on Tuesday passed the nation’s first statewide ban on large data centers, part of a growing backlash to the energy-intensive facilities that fuel the rise of artificial ...

Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have paused new data center projects until late 2027. Mills cited her support for an existing project and said she wanted to study data center impacts.

The bill would block new data centers that draw more than 20 megawatts of power until the fall of 2027. It also calls to study their impact on the electrical grid.

The bill, which blocks centers that draw over 20 megawatts of power until late 2027, is headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

Maine could impose the nation's first statewide moratorium on energy-hungry data centers in a sign of growing political opposition to tech giants' massive structures that have stoked fears about ...

Lawmakers in Maine passed a temporary ban on new, large data centers in the state this week. If Gov. Janet Mills signs the legislation, the state will become the first to ban data centers. Daniel ...