Janet Mills is undecided on whether to sign a bill banning data centers in Maine

Artificial intelligenceMaine Gov. Janet Mills is undecided on whether to sign a pause on data centersThe state Legislature passed a first-of-its-kind bill to impose a moratorium on data centers amid a heated national debate over the energy-hungry structures that power AI.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address in 2024.Robert F. Bukaty / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 17, 2026, 5:16 PM EDTBy Sahil Kapur and Jackie MontalvoWESTBROOK, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills said Friday that she hasn’t decided whether to sign a bill passed by the Legislature to impose a statewide moratorium on new data centers, outlining her critique of the legislation.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“It’s on my desk. I’m going to read it. Read it very carefully,” Mills, a Democrat, said in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, adding that it doesn’t contain a “carveout” she wanted for a project in the struggling town of Jay in order to boost jobs.Mills’ decision is being closely watched: The first-of-its-kind bill comes amid a national debate that features growing local opposition to the huge, energy-hungry structures that power the growing and disruptive artificial intelligence industry. The second-term governor is also running for the U.S. Senate.Add NBC News to GoogleElectrical grid at increasing risk of blackouts due to surging demand05:06The measure, passed earlier this week, would impose a moratorium on new data centers in Maine until the fall of 2027. Mills has 10 days to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it or otherwise allow it to become law without her taking action.“I have already expressed publicly concerns for the project that’s proposed in Jay, Maine, which has lost actually two paper mills in that community in the last couple years,” Mills said.“It was probably one of the worst days of my tenure as governor, when in the middle of...