The Maine Event: America's First Statewide Datacenter Moratorium

Maine approved a statewide moratorium on datacenters ≥20 MW until 2027, creating a council to assess impacts and set future policy guidance.

Maine just made history as the first US state to vote a statewide moratorium on building large datacenters. The bill, LD 307, bans datacenters with a capacity of 20 megawatts or more until November 2027 and creates the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to assess the impacts of these facilities and suggest policy guidelines. The legislation was approved by the Maine House and passed the Senate with bipartisan support, and may be the canary in the server room. Although it may still be vetoed and won't have a large impact on nationwide datacenter growth, it sets a precedent that others might follow—especially as community opposition increases and the 2026 midterm elections near.