An Act to Limit the Amount of Electricity That May Be Provided to Data Centers on a Certain Commercial or Industrial Site
Summary
LD 912 is an emergency law aimed at limiting how much electricity certain data centers can receive from a specific electric utility arrangement on a commercial or industrial site in northern Maine. The bill amends Maine’s definition of a “consumer” for certain utility service exceptions, allowing commercial or industrial consumers on the same site, or on abutting property, to be served under existing rules, and then adds a new geographic exception for a site in a municipality north of Chester that had been served without using a public utility’s transmission and distribution plant before December 31, 2018.
The new exception is narrowed by a cap: it does not apply if more than 25% of the entity’s nameplate capacity is used to serve data centers on the site. The bill defines “data center” broadly as a facility primarily housing electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information, along with environmental control equipment needed to operate that equipment. Because it is enacted as an emergency measure, the law takes effect immediately upon approval.
Impact
The bill amends 35-A MRSA §102, which governs utility-related definitions and exceptions, by creating a site-specific limitation on electricity service for data centers in a particular part of the state. Its practical effect is to preserve access to local electricity generation for other employers and industries in the affected area while preventing a single site from dedicating too much of its capacity to data center load. The law is narrowly tailored to one class of commercial or industrial site and one geographic region, and it immediately changes how electricity may be allocated there.
Sentiment
The bill’s stated purpose and emergency preamble indicate strong legislative concern about protecting local energy resources and ensuring they are not monopolized by data centers. The available record does not include committee testimony or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from specific lawmakers in the materials provided. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to have been framed as a targeted economic-development and energy-allocation safeguard rather than a broad policy overhaul.
Contention
The main point of contention implied by the bill is the balance between attracting or accommodating data center development and preserving electricity capacity for other commercial and industrial users. Supporters appear to have been concerned that data centers could consume a disproportionate share of local generation, while potential critics would likely focus on the bill’s narrow geographic targeting, its restriction on a specific industry, and the possibility that it could limit investment or operational flexibility for data center projects. The 25% capacity threshold is the key operational line that determines when the exception no longer applies.
Imposes a moratorium on the issuance of permits for new data centers; requires the public service commission to issue an order or orders to minimize the impact of new data centers on electricity and gas rates for residential, commercial, and industrial users; clarifies that certain provisions are applicable to the Long Island power authority.
Imposes a moratorium on the issuance of permits for new data centers; requires the public service commission to issue an order or orders to minimize the impact of new data centers on electricity and gas rates for residential, commercial, and industrial users; clarifies that certain provisions are applicable to the Long Island power authority.
Requires that certain data centers requiring large amounts of electricity be required to fund the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements to supply such electricity.
Requires that certain data centers requiring large amounts of electricity be required to fund the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements to supply such electricity.
An Act to amend and reenact § 62.1-44.38 of the Code of Virginia, relating to certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes and from data centers.
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Requiring data centers to be located on land that was zoned for industrial or manufacturing uses or was not zoned on July 1, 2025, to qualify for the sales tax exemption for qualified data centers.