Maine's governor vetoes a bill that would have led to US' first state pause on data centers, citing its failure to exempt a project in a distressed mill town

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TLDR

  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed what would have been the nation’s first state moratorium on data centers.

Key Facts

  • Gov. Mills rejected the bill because it did not exempt a data center project in a distressed mill town.
  • The legislation would have established the first state-level pause on data center development in the US.
  • Mills cited the omission of the mill town project as her stated reason for the veto.

Why It Matters

  • The veto means no US state has yet enacted a moratorium on data center development.
  • The outcome shows how local economic concerns can override broader statewide tech regulation efforts.

Jenna Russell / New York Times · 2026-04-24 · Read the original