Raw LLM Responses

After updating, here’s the full text: Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have banned data centers larger than 20 megawatts until November, 2027 — which would have been the first such moratorium in the nation. “A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates,” Mills wrote in her veto letter to the Legislature. “But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region.” The bill, LD 307, saw significant debate in the Maine Legislature, as lawmakers attempted to add an exemption process aimed at proposed projects in Jay and Sanford. Tony McDonald, who is involved in the Jay project, said the ban would stop the project at the former paper mill. Mills said earlier in the session that she wanted an exemption process, but ultimately legislators failed to pass an amendment. She emphasized her stance again in her statement Friday: “I supported the exemption and would have signed this bill if it had included it.” The bill also would have created the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to assess policy tools for regulating data centers, but Mills said she intends to issue an executive order to establish the council. “I believe it necessary and important to examine and plan for the potential impacts of large-scale data centers in Maine, as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread,” Mills said. “Given the serious conversations about data centers here and around the country, I believe this work should commence without delay.” Mills emphasized that the 2023 closure of the Androscoggin Mill was a “devastating” blow to the local economy and eliminated hundreds of jobs. “As a long-time resident of Franklin County, I know well how critical the mill was to generations of working families, and how important it is — and how challenging it has been — to prom