WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The Democratic governor of Maine, Janet Mills, vetoed a bill that would have made it the first U.S. state to impose a moratorium on large new data centers, saying the move would have disrupted jobs tied to a project already underway.
Maine lawmakers had approved the bill last week, in what was seen as a test case amid growing local opposition to large facilities powering Washington's AI race against Beijing.
The Maine bill aimed to freeze approvals for data centers
requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027, while a state-appointed council analyzes their impact on the local grid, electricity bills, air and water.
A dozen other states are considering a moratorium on data centers. Here is the most recent list of U.S. states that have had bills targeting data centers introduced in their legislatures.
State Bill Description
Georgia HB 1012 Bars counties and cities from
issuing permits, licenses or
certificates for the construction
or development of new data centers
until March 1, 2027, with an
exception for approvals issued
before July 1, 2026.
Maryland HB 120 Prohibits the construction of new
data centers unless the General
Assembly enacts legislation
related to co-location with new or
existing power generation
(including natural gas, nuclear or
small modular reactors, or SMRs).
Michigan House A statewide moratorium that calls
Resolution 240 for a temporary pause on state
incentives for data centers.
New HB 1265 Prohibits the construction of a
Hampshire new data center anywhere in the
state for one year from the act's
effective date and forms a
committee to study the
environmental impacts of data
centers.
Minnesota SF 4298 Bars state and local governments
from issuing permits for data
centers until a year after the
Public Utility Commission submits
a report on data center
development scenarios in the
state.
New York S9144 Imposes a statewide moratorium on
permits for new data centers and
directs the Public Service
Commission to come up with a plan
to minimize their impact on
electricity and gas rates.
Oklahoma SB 1488 Imposes a moratorium on building
new data centers until November 1,
2029, and tasks the Oklahoma
Corporation Commission with
studying the impact on water
supply, utility rates, property
values and site locations.
South H 5286 Bars state and local governments
Carolina from granting permits, approvals
or incentives for new data centers
until January 1, 2028.
South SB 232 / HB Sets a one-year moratorium on the
Dakota 1301 construction or expansion of
hyperscale data centers. House
bill imposes a moratorium while
also addressing cost/risk
allocation tied to electricity
usage by data centers.
Vermont S 205 Creates a temporary moratorium
through July 2030 while regulators
study impacts and recommend a
regulatory framework.
Virginia HB 1515 Bars localities from granting
final approvals for
rezonings/special permits for new
data centers until specified
grid-interconnection conditions
are met.
Wisconsin LRB-6377/1 Creates a statewide moratorium on
data centers by prohibiting the
operation of a data center unless
the legislature first enacts rules
— such as a statewide planning
authority and explicit bans on
shifting data center energy and
water costs onto residential
customers.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; additional reporting by Chris Thomas; Editing by Pooja Desai)
