#resistbigdata — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #resistbigdata, aggregated by home.social.
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Yes! More of this, please!
#JayME #DataCenter project put on hold after developer backs out
by Russ Reed, 6/12/2026
Excerpt: "The owners of a former paper mill in Jay have put plans to build a data center at the site on hold because the developer has backed out of the project, according to officials in the #Maine town.
"JGT2, owners of the Riley Road property that was once home to the Androscoggin Mill, told Jay officials that the developer, Sentinel, intended not to move forward at this point, according to a post on the Town of Jay Facebook page.
[...]
"The news comes more than two months after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have put a temporary moratorium on data centers in Maine, a moratorium that would have been the first of its kind in the United States. The Maine Legislature passed the bill, #LD307, which would have required the state's Department of Energy Resources to create the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to ensure Maine is ready for data centers.
"State Rep. Melanie Sachs, the bill's sponsor, said the legislation was an attempt to make sure Maine is ready for data centers and focused on the infrastructure needed for these types of facilities. When the bill was passed, a spokesperson for Mills said the governor agreed with lawmakers that the rapid growth of large-scale AI data centers warrants careful evaluation of impacts on public resources, the environment and Maine ratepayers. But Mills also supported an exemption to the law for the proposed data center at the former Jay paper mill, which was not included in the bill passed by the Legislature."
#DatacentersSuck #DatacenterMoratoriums #MainePol #MaineResists #ResistBigData #USPol #WorldPol
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#Maine municipal leaders to vote on #DatacenterMoratoriums amid concerns
by Brad Rogers,WGME
Wed, May 20, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Updated Thu, May 21, 2026 at 5:33 AMSCARBOROUGH, Maine (WGME) -- "New massive data centers are being proposed in #ScarboroughME, #SanfordME, #JayME and other Maine communities, raising concerns among some Mainers in those communities.
"A developer wants to build the #ScarboroughTechnologyPark — a 140,000-square-foot data center with supporting infrastructure on 52 acres west of the Maine Turnpike and north of #TwoRodRoad.
"Town leaders in Scarborough say they need time to study the impacts of the proposed project, while some neighbors are already voicing opposition.
" 'This is a pretty quiet neighborhood, and it’s going to just destroy the neighborhood and the property values,' said Warren Hamilton, who opposes the #datacenter planned behind his home."
#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#BrunswickME considers pause on #datacenter proposals
There will be a public hearing on the proposed moratorium on June 1.
by Katie Langley, Posted May 19, 2026, Updated May 20
"Brunswick is among several Maine municipalities considering moratoriums on large-scale data centers after Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have temporarily restricted such developments.
"At a Monday night meeting, Brunswick’s town councilors set a June 1 public hearing on the proposed moratorium. If passed, the moratorium would give the town 180 days to gather information on the impact of data centers and set regulations on their development.
"The drafted moratorium closely mirrors other temporary policies being considered in towns and cities including #WestbrookME, which uses the same law firm as Brunswick.
"Town councilors on Monday removed a section in the draft moratorium that defined data centers as having a gross floor area of at least 10,000 square feet or electrical capacities of at least 20 megawatts. Instead, data center projects with an electrical capacity of 1 megawatt or more would be prohibited during the moratorium period.
"Brunswick has an existing, smaller-scale data center on #BrunswickLanding, owned by internet company #FirstLight, that town leaders have said has not been an issue and does not store artificial intelligence data.
"Town Manager Julia Henze said Monday night that there are no proposals for data centers on the horizon for Brunswick, but a moratorium would give the council time to update town ordinances and be prepared for such projects.
"Other municipalities, including #SanfordME and #ScarboroughME, are considering data center moratoriums in response to already proposed projects."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/20/brunswick-considers-pause-on-data-center-proposals/Archived version:
https://archive.md/tt3nk#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#Arkansas Advocate: Arkansas Explained -- Understanding the #Datacenter boom and debate
by Ainsley Platt, Arkansas Advocate May 23, 2026
"Hailed by officials and economic developers as a boon to the state, data center projects heading to Arkansas are facing increasing scrutiny and calls for local regulations.
"Since an overhaul of energy permitting laws credited with luring more data centers was enacted last year, companies have announced plans for five such projects statewide. Two of them are already under construction.
"But the rapid announcements and #secretive negotiations with local governments and business chambers have prompted an outcry from some #Arkansans. Reassurances from utilities that costs won’t be shifted to existing customers haven’t assuaged fears.
[...]
"In central Arkansas, residents opposed to #datacenters crowded into board rooms in #ConwayAK and #LittleRockAK, while many more commented on social media videos and posts expressing their dismay over data center projects.
"Momentum for regulations on data centers is also picking up in Arkansas’ most-populous county, even after the Pulaski County Quorum Court voted to send proposed regulations to the county planning department for a 90-day review.
"Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. who stood with supporters at a press conference last week, announced his support Tuesday for data center regulations.
"Wendell Griffen, the Democratic nominee for Pulaski County’s top elected position who wrote Pulaski County’s proposed regulations, has made data center regulation a central part of his campaign. Griffen has pushed for the quorum court to enact an emergency moratorium."
#ArkansasPol #DatacenterMoratoriums #ResistBigData #MaineResists
#DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#WestbrookME considers moratorium on #AIDataCenters as debate grows across #Maine
Story by Drew Peters, 5/18/2026
"The Westbrook City Council is expected to decide Monday whether to temporarily halt new #Datacenter development as communities across Maine continue weighing the benefits and risks tied to the growing artificial intelligence industry.
"The proposal would create a 180-day moratorium on new data center projects in Westbrook. City leaders said the pause would give officials time to update ordinances and better understand how large-scale facilities could impact the city’s electric grid, water supply, and taxpayers.
"The discussion comes as Maine communities increasingly debate the future of AI-related infrastructure. Last month, Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have imposed a statewide moratorium on data centers.
" 'This is a subject that has the potential to destroy our community,' Westbrook resident Marnie Ward said ahead of the meeting.
"Ward said she has followed reports of data center development in other parts of the country and worries promises made by developers may not always be fulfilled.
" 'Places where companies have promised to put in things like their own electrical generation and they don’t do it,' Ward said.
"She questioned whether the economic benefits outweigh the environmental and infrastructure costs.
" 'What’s the benefit, and does the benefit of having one of these data centers outweigh the costs it’s going to be?' Ward said.
"Mayor David Morse said the proposed moratorium is intended to help the city prepare before a project proposal arrives."
#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#JanetMills vetoed a #DataCenter pause. Towns are looking to pass their own.
At least four municipalities have proposed their own moratoriums on new data center development while they refine local regulations.
by Daniel Kool, May 18, 2026
"Without a statewide moratorium on large data center development, a patchwork of local laws appears to be forming in #Maine.
"Weeks after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to temporarily restrict permitting for new data centers of 20 megawatts or more, at least four towns and cities are considering enacting their own moratoriums. The local pauses are designed to give officials time to review their zoning rules and develop new regulations for large data centers — should they ever come to town.
"Some, like those in Sanford and Scarborough, come as developers have already proposed building data centers in town. Others, like in Brunswick and Westbrook, are designed to get ahead of potential data center construction. All four communities plan to discuss their proposals at meetings this week.
"Though these local proposals have taken on new urgency in a lieu of a broader moratorium, they are not the first of their kind. The Bangor City Council unanimously passed a city-wide pause in April, days before Mills shot down the statewide effort. Anne Krieg, the town’s director of development, said they 'didn’t want to wait for the state,' as development pressure mounted."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/gSis4#ResistBigData #MaineResists #MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #BangorME #ScarboroughME #SanfordME #BrunswickME #WestbrookME #DatacentersSuck #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks