Ellsworth is weighing a temporary ban on data center developments as many residents across Maine and the country have banded together to oppose the facilities that they fear will have devastating environmental impacts.
The Ellsworth City Council could vote on a potential moratorium on data center developments on Monday following a public hearing on the matter. The city has not received any applications to construct a data center, according to Amy Kenney, the city’s communications director.
The proposed ban comes as communities throughout Maine are grappling with new data center proposals, many of which could have both detrimental effects on local resources and provide vital economic benefits.
In April, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed what would have been the first statewide ban on new data centers in the country. The outgoing governor — who dropped her bid in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary shortly after signing the controversial veto — was concerned about the measure’s impact on a $550 million data center proposal in Jay, whose developer has since abandoned the project.
“There is growing resistance across the country, and some data centers are being canceled primarily because of a lack of transparency in the planning process,” said Councilor Nancy Smith, who supports the Ellsworth moratorium. “Rather than respond to a developer pursuing the path of least resistance in gobbling up productive open space, the city could consider possible industrial or brownfield locations.”
This month in Eastport, residents across the political spectrum have organized to oppose plans to build an underwater data center in the Passamaquoddy Bay. Many worry thermal pollution from the center could render the bay uninhabitable for lobsters, gutting the local fishing industry and tourism and harming whales and other wildlife.
A citizen-intiitated ordinance that would limit data centers larger than 25,000 square feet in Eastport and its surrounding waters now faces uncertainty after the city’s lawyers advised the Eastport City Council that the ordinance would be “unenforceable and unlawful,” according to the Maine Monitor.
In mid-July, Hampden councilors declined to pass a temporary ban on data center developments, though the Penobscot County town is seeking public input on how to handle future proposals.
Bangor City Council passed a six-month freeze on data centers in mid-April after the city was experiencing “increased development pressure from data centers,” according to the moratorium.
Like Hampden, Ellsworth’s ban would be preemptive, as neither municipality has received inquiries about potential data center developments. Still, public officials believe such a pause could give the city time to implement policies that govern their location and scale, particularly given “the potential for negative environmental impacts,” Smith said.
“The drawdown of power required by a significantly sized data center is beyond the scope of what a single municipality can address,” Smith said. “I encourage state-level regulators to take this on. I look forward to guidance from the state since so many towns are raising similar concern.”
Similar temporary bans have been implemented in Westbrook, Gorham, Scarborough, Brunswick and Gray, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Although many residents and environmental groups have warned of the ecological harms these data centers could bring, there are also potential economic benefits from a boost in job opportunities and added tax revenue.
“While a data center would likely contribute significantly to Ellsworth’s tax base, it’s also important that we outline a community benefit agreement to ensure that Ellsworth residents, business owners and visitors would see benefits to balance likely downsides,” Smith said.