Waldo County
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LD 307 (HP 207), sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, would have set up a 13-member Data Center Coordination Council and barred state and municipal permits for data centers with a load of 20 MW or more until Nov. 1, 2027. The Senate's final enactment vote on April 14, 2026 was 21-13; Gov. Janet Mills vetoed the bill on April 24, saying she would have signed it with an exemption for the Jay mill project; on April 29 the House voted 72-65 to override, short of two-thirds, so the veto was sustained. (Maine Legislature, April 29, 2026; Office of Gov. Janet T. Mills, April 24, 2026; Portland Press Herald, April 29, 2026; Mainebiz, April 27, 2026) LD 713 (HP 452), signed April 23, 2026 as chapter 768 of the public laws, defines data centers and takes those that begin operating on or after Aug. 1, 2026 out of the Business Equipment Tax Exemption (BETE, Maine's property tax break for most business equipment) and the Dirigo Business Incentives Program. It also has the Department of Economic and Community Development study what other incentives under current law data centers could still use, such as tax increment financing, and report to the Legislature's taxation committee by Nov. 4, 2026. (Maine Legislature, April 23, 2026; Maine Legislature, April 23, 2026; Maine Senate Democrats (press release), April 27, 2026) Executive Order 5 (April 29, 2026) created the Maine Data Center Advisory Council, co-chaired by the commissioners of Energy Resources and Environmental Protection, with a public report and any proposed bills due to the governor and Legislature by Jan. 29, 2027; it also told the Department of Energy Resources to work with the Public Utilities Commission on ways to keep data center costs off other ratepayers. The council's October 2026 working draft, marked as not agency policy, floats ideas such as requiring large data centers to pay for grid upgrades in advance or post security, and requiring projects over 50 MW to buy new clean energy to match their portfolio obligation. (Office of Gov. Janet T. Mills, April 29, 2026; Maine Department of Energy Resources, Oct. 20, 2026; Maine Department of Energy Resources, Oct. 7, 2026) PUC docket 2026-00142, opened May 27, 2026 after a May 20 letter from the Department of Energy Resources, is a commission-initiated informal investigation into the development of large data centers. Central Maine Power, Versant Power, consumer-owned utilities and advocacy groups filed initial comments in June, staff issued an order scheduling a workshop on Aug. 11, and the Unitil gas companies commented on Oct. 2. No large-load tariff case for Central Maine Power or Versant was found in the sources reviewed. (Maine Public Utilities Commission, May 27, 2026; Maine Department of Energy Resources, Oct. 20, 2026) Maine data centers →