PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 5, 2026
Maine lawmakers voted Thursday to advance a bill that would stop the development of new data centers in the state for more than a year. The bill, LD 307, would create a temporary limitation on data centers with electric loads of at least 20 megawatts by preventing the state, local governments and quasi-governmental agencies from issuing permits or other approvals until 90 days after the first session of the 133rd Legislature adjourns. That will likely be around October 2027, the bill’s sponsor. That would give a new “Data Center Coordination Council,” also created by the bill, time to study and review the potential impacts of building the centers in Maine.