- Maine becomes first US state to ban large data centers
- A temporary moratorium will limit power to less than 20 MW
- A dedicated council will report its findings
Maine has passed a new law restricting and, in many cases, banning the construction of new data centers in certain areas.
In doing so, Maine became the first state to pass such a law, and with many other states concerned about the environmental impact of data centers, this may well be the first of many.
In addition to high energy and water consumption, lawmakers are also concerned that data center infrastructure will put unreasonably high strain on the network.
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Maine places strict restrictions on data center construction
The temporary moratorium prohibits new permits and approvals for data centers with a capacity of more than 20 MW, but the “temporary” moratorium is the main factor here, as it will only remain in effect until November 1, 2027, when it will be automatically repealed.
The state also wants to create the Maine Data Center Coordinating Council to examine network reliability, protection against rising energy costs for residents, environmental impacts and any other economic effects.
This board has until February 1, 2027 to report its findings to the governor, at which point it is entirely possible that proposals will be floated to replace the temporary moratorium with a more permanent set of rules.
All of this comes at a time when hyperscalers and data center companies are being pushed for more transparency. Earlier this month, a group of investors urged companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google to provide greater detail on data center impacts by campus.
As for what’s next, we could start to see similar bans popping up not just in the United States, but around the world. Reports claim that Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have already explored similar measures.
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