BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 6, 2026
Lewiston city councilors were caught off guard after receiving the detailed proposal for a $300 million center inside the downtown Bates Mill only about a month before a meeting when they needed to vote on the project. After two closed-door meetings, they released details to the public just six days before a pivotal vote in December. The idea drew instant backlash, and the council unanimously voted it down. AI data centers have caused a wave of bipartisan public opposition because of their massive power and water consumption. Some $64 billion worth of proposed projects have been blocked or delayed over the past two years across the nation. The proposal in Lewiston was for a relatively small system, but news about environmental impacts of the large data centers elsewhere spooked residents. “Developers need to stop planning these data centers in secret and then complaining about how much they’ve invested in the process once the public finally becomes aware of it and pushes back,” said Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman.