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Joe Oliva works for GrowSmart Maine and the Maine Broadband Coalition.
We’ve heard the faint rumble of AI data centers — stories drifting in from other states, headlines that feel distant. But those rumbles, once easy to ignore, are getting closer and louder. Maine communities are now being approached to host these facilities.
AI data centers power the modern digital world, fueling everything from smart assistants to cutting-edge research. But with this progress comes questions: How will they affect local resources? What community benefits could they bring? What trade-offs might your town have to make?
What will they mean for our local environment, our power grid, our water supply? Will they bring good jobs, or simply siphon resources while profits flow elsewhere? These are not abstract debates. They are looming decisions that will shape the character of Maine’s towns for decades to come.
As the largest tech companies in the world compete for preeminence in our increasingly AI-driven economy, the common through line in data center development is where they tend to pop up: rural communities — and those that we call home in Maine are not insulated.
The first proposals have already landed on town and city council agendas. Now is the time to learn, ask hard questions, and demand transparency from developers and decisionmakers alike. Communities deserve the opportunity to weigh the benefits and the costs of AI data centers, and to decide if hosting such infrastructure aligns with their visions for the future. Because in the end, one truth stands above all: where these centers are built matters. If Maine is to welcome them, it must be on our terms.
If your community is approached about a potential site, consider the unique and wide-ranging impacts of these new AI data centers. From an environmental and resource management perspective, they present an unprecedented industrial stress test on local and regional electricity infrastructure and water supply. As an economic development project, it’s tempting to see these facilities as a boon, but the complete picture is murkier than that. Will land use implications involve repurposing an old mill building or the conversion of hundreds of acres of farmland?
The challenge with assessing the implications of AI data centers on the environment is that there are no state or federal regulations for AI, nor legal frameworks requiring owners and operators to disclose their energy and water consumption. In fact, a recent executive order promised to preempt any regulatory efforts at the state level. Outside of lawsuits, the public has very little way of knowing exactly how much energy, water, and land these facilities consume.
The most promising sites for AI data center development in Maine are former industrial and mill properties — locations with onsite, behind-the-meter power generation and reliable access to freshwater. As high-speed broadband expands even into Maine’s most rural communities, the possibility of breathing new life into these properties through retrofitting and revitalization is no longer just theoretical, it’s becoming tangible.
But realizing this vision requires more than infrastructure investment. It demands a collective effort and community advocates who never lose sight of what’s in the balance. A future where data centers are thoughtfully sited and operated with greater efficiency will only emerge if stakeholders, policymakers, and community leaders engage proactively to shape it together.
Last month, residents of Lewiston spoke out about a data center project that was announced on a Thursday and set for city council vote on the following Tuesday. Their wariness was rooted in a justified discomfort with the size of the project and lack of public engagement in the planning process.
GrowSmart Maine recently released its first community guide on AI data centers, including a compilation of publicly available information and guiding questions for consideration. Community wellbeing relative to these projects is dependent on a robust and transparent public process that persistently contextualizes what’s at stake for the community as a whole. Remember that it’s your region, community, or neighborhood that will bear the impact as these facilities are built.