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
Gov. Janet Mills said she rejected what would have been the nation's first moratorium on data centers because it failed to exempt a project in a distressed mill town.
New York Times Jenna Russell
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Discussion
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@dareasmunhoz
Diego Areas Munhoz
on x
Big news- We wrote last week about how this would be a first big test data center politics in the Dem party. Progressives have been pushing Dems hard to be more muscular against AI industry. Mills signals establishment not ready to close the door quite yet https://punchbowl.news/…
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@ninaturner
Nina Turner
on x
Congratulations, @grahamformaine on your primary victory.
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@admcrlsn
Adam Carlson
on x
Regardless of how you feel about temporary moratoriums on building new data centers, this is not something you do if you are trying to win a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in the year 2026.
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@zaidjilani
Zaid Jilani
on x
Not a chance she's going to be a senator so might as well line up those board memberships
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@pat_hedger
Patrick Hedger
on x
Perhaps Mills realized Maine's electricity is already some of the most expensive in the country without a meaningful data center presence, and that data centers can help bring down grid costs. Regardless, kudos.
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@nathantbernard
Nathan Bernard
on x
Data center construction has been rejected across Maine. The centers jack up electric costs, drain water supplies, and create no long term jobs. This Mills moratorium veto will be very unpopular. https://www.reuters.com/...
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@adamkovac
Adam Kovacevich
on x
I am basically ambivalent on the ME primary, but I feel confident in saying that signing a data center moratorium would have been the opportunistic thing to do for Mills' campaign, and it speaks well of her maturity and judgment that she vetoed it.
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@davidsirota
David Sirota
on x
Janet Mills deciding to veto Democrats' legislation and run for Maine's Democratic Senate nomination as Big Tech's candidate is...one helluva a choice. [image]
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@jael
Jae Holzman
on bluesky
Well, I can't say this is smart politics
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@hypervisible.blacksky.app
@hypervisible.blacksky.app
on bluesky
Mills said that “while she believed a moratorium was appropriate, given the negative effects of data centers elsewhere in the country, she could not endorse the measure because it did not include an exemption for a long-planned project in Jay, Maine.”
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r/Maine
r
on reddit
A few choice words here; as she realizes she will not be the democratic nominee against Collins