I support a moratorium on data centers. I am not opposed to new technology, but I am concerned about the amount of resources and energy that data centers require to operate, and the impact they have on the environment and people. A moratorium would allow us to get more of the information needed to make decisions that will have long-lasting impacts on our clean Maine air and water and on the citizens of Maine.

Tapping the brakes with a moratorium will also give us time to see if AI is truly a revolutionary technology that benefits society, and is here to stay, or if this is an AI bubble where a few very wealthy investors are seeing profits at the expense of everyone else.

Maine legislators are currently considering LD 307, a resolution bill that would establish a data center coordination council to provide input and evaluate policy options for data center development in the state. An amendment to the bill also establishes a moratorium on the building, permitting or establishment of data centers in the state until 2028.

Gus Goodwin
Portland