Tell them to support the Roberts Amendment which creates GOOD PAYING JOBS and is SUPPORTED BY LABOR.
Data Powers Everything We Do.
Every time you check your phone, stream a show, pay a bill online, or attend a virtual class, a data center makes it possible. When these centers are nearby, services are faster, more reliable, and more affordable for Maine residents. Without them, we’d rely on distant systems that are slower, less efficient, and more expensive.
Data centers support the services we all depend on every day:
Office Productivity
(email, file storage, video conferencing, shared workspaces)
Healthcare
(telemedicine, electronic medical records, medical research)
Financial Services
(online banking, payments, trading)
Public Safety
(911 dispatch, emergency alerts)
Education
(remote learning, mathematical modelling)​
Consumer Activities
(e-commerce, streaming video and music)
Government Operations
(tax systems, voting infrastructure, land records)
Utility & Energy Services
(smart grid tech, renewable energy forecasting, outage prevention and detection)
Weather/Climate
(forecasting, climate modeling, damage assessment and prevention)
Transportation
(navigation, ridesharing, air traffic control systems, shipping logistics)
They also bring critical property tax revenue to communities and can reuse shuttered factories or vacant industrial spaces. Think of them as Maine’s modern-day factories—powering the economy, supporting local jobs, and keeping communities strong.
Legislators face two choices based on competing Energy, Utilities, & Technology Committee reports:
1
A blanket moratorium (Majority Report)—no new data centers for fifteen months, even for projects already in planning and development. ​
2
A temporary pause with clear standards (Minority Report)—15-month moratorium with a process to allow underway projects to proceed with Public Utilities Commission approval. The PUC will ensure no cost increases for Maine electric ratepayers and no harm to local water supplies or quality.​
​Both Reports create the same useful study group for appropriate data center regulation in the future.
Maine already strictly regulates big energy and water users to protect the environment and public health—but we don’t ban them outright. They are the cornerstones of many Maine communities. Data centers deserve the same common-sense approach.
OUR LEGISLATURE HAS A CHOICE:
It can enact a thoughtless multi-year ban, OR it can require regulatory review and approval to lower electric rates, preserve water and air resources, and allow local voices to be heard.
That’s the thoughtful solution.