The Maine Data Center Advisory Council will start tackling development issues on June 3, with additional meetings planned throughout the year ahead of policy recommendations due to the governor and Legislature in January.
Created by executive order of Gov. Janet Mills, the 17-member group will develop recommendations on large-scale data center projects aimed at protecting ratepayers, maintaining electric grid reliability, minimizing environmental impact and supporting responsible economic development.
The Maine Data Center Advisory Council is co-chaired by the heads of Maine’s Energy and Environmental Protection departments and includes representatives of state agencies, utilities, tribal nations, municipal government, environmental interests, labor, higher education and the private sector.
“Through this Council, we will take a careful look at how large-scale data center development could affect energy demand and costs for Maine people, as well as opportunities to mitigate potential impacts,” said Celina Cunningham, who co-chairs the council and is acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Energy Resources.
Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim is the other co-chair.
“The Council will review Maine’s existing environmental regulations pertaining to large-scale data center development to understand safeguards currently in place as well as opportunities to strengthen them,” she said. “DEP is committed to ensuring this process gives those interests the serious attention they warrant, with opportunities for public input to shape recommendations.”
Mills created the group after vetoing a proposed first-in-the-nation moratorium on data centers in Maine, prompting some municipalities to pursue their own bans. The Sanford City Council recently voted to pause data center development for 91 days, while officials in Westbrook and Brunswick are also considering moratoriums.
The Maine Data Center Advisory Council’s report is due by Jan. 29, 2027, to Maine’s next governor, to be decided in November, and lawmakers in Augusta.
Meeting details
Meetings of the Maine Data Center Advisory Council will be open to the public. The June 3 meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to noon, will be held on Zoom.
