#SanfordME imposes emergency #DatacenterMoratorium, halting #MousamRiver project
The 91-day pause to allow for a task force to review concerns will affect a proposal for the 1,000-acre Sanford Woods Industrial and Technical Campus.
SANFORD — "The City Council on Tuesday night approved a three-month emergency moratorium on data centers, temporarily stopping a proposal for a 1,000-acre center along the Mousam River.
"The council voted unanimously in favor of the 91-day moratorium, which puts a pause on the acceptance, approval or issuance of permits for any large scale data center proposal in the city. The moratorium takes effect immediately and will remain in place until Aug. 12.
"At the meeting, City Manager Steven Buck said there are plans to establish a task force dedicated to reviewing residents’ concerns and making recommendations for ordinance amendments on municipal regulations for data centers.
"After Maine Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a temporary statewide ban on #datacenters, several cities and towns — including Sanford — responded by introducing their own emergency moratoriums.
"There have been at least eight data centers proposed across Maine, though some have been withdrawn. One that’s still on the table is the Sanford Woods Industrial and Technical Campus, which would cover about 1,000 acres of land along and near the Mousam River.
"At the council’s prior meeting on May 5, Sanford Mayor Becky Brink criticized Mills’ veto and said the city government would take action on its own.
" 'I feel like the state let us down,' she said. 'We as a city — and all of us have spoken — we are going to protect Sanford.' "
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/19/sanford-imposes-emergency-data-center-moratorium-halting-mousam-river-project/
Archived version:
https://archive.md/xkkvV
#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks
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