Democrat candidate for governor Hannah Pingree split from her protege Sunday, proposing a moratorium on AI data centers, her first major policy split with Gov. Janet Mills.
Mills, the two-term-limited governor who was previously Pingree’s boss in the state policy office, recently vetoed an AI center ban.
Pingree, who Mills late in the primary campaign endorsed for the Democrat nomination to succeed her, apparently decided over the weekend fighting AI data centers has widespread popular voter appeal going in to November’s general election.
Staking out an “environmental” platform is likely to attract not only Democrats but unenrolled independents, a third of Maine’s electorate, in Pingree’s fight against Republican Bobby Charles and “independent” Rick Bennett.
“I’m calling for a moratorium on AI data center construction in Maine until we have strong protections and guardrails in place,” Pingree said Sunday. “We need the highest standards in the country to prevent the kind of pollution, jacked up electricity rates, and abuse of communities that we’ve seen from data centers in other parts of the country.”
She called for “clean energy solutions” to “protect our water, our environment and our ratepayers” but didn’t specify a cheaper, reliable energy alternative.
Charles late last month expressed concerns about data centers, saying he would need assurances they would have minimal impact on the environment.
Pingree’s call for a moratorium, which Bennett has said he supports, comes two months after Mills vetoed a bill designed to delay construction of large AI data centers that would have been the first such law in the country.
“A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates,” Mills wrote in her veto. “But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region.”
She looks good next to Platner, do not let the voters forget
Hanna says : “ We have not enough intelligence in Maine as it is …we certainly don’t want any that is artificial . “
“ We want more solar panels , wind mills , electric cars , and heat pumps .”
“ I will crush Maine with regulations if you only let me “ ….” DON’T think ….just vote for me “
Pingree must be working for China if she is fighting data centers. Loring would have been a good location for one
I would support Pingree in the AI moratorium-they consume a lot of energy, like our bills aren’t high enough already! Data centers do not bring in jobs, they operate remotely so it’s a lose lose situation for Maine. We have so much natural beauty and we capitalize on it every summer with tourists. I still think Pingree is a dirty scumbag but I don’t want a data center popping up in say Ft Williams Park or some other historical landmark.
Hannah Pingree has the exact same playbook all the rest of the dem party has. I dont trust her fars I can spit. Vote Bobby Charles, flip this entire state RED or we are DEAD.
Hannah and Chellie are environmental disasters. Hannah and Chellie live on an island and have a carbon footprint twice that of the rest of us. An island is environmental sensitive but Hannah and Chellie operate a hotel on this island and bring still more people to it to trump around and release more carbon gas going back and forth to the mainland from which food and everything else must be brought to the island. Islanders maintain 2 car and the island car spews forth all sorts of toxic fumes because it is a relic and seldom serviced. Now a gas tank has to be buried in this environmentally sensitive island but the Pingree’s buy the gas. After leaving the island, Hannah an Pingree spew more carbon commuting to DC and August and there they spew the largest concentration of hot air any person can command as they lecture the minions about the evils of their environmental ways, ordering them to freeze in winter as they jack up electricity rates wherever they can. Don’t forget all the private jet rides they have taken.
@laura, these data centers would be built ( jobs ) in the old mills providing property tax . If we did not remove the dams they would generate their own power, they use less water than the mills did and it would be put back into the river, since it is used just for cooling.
Maine used to be a very pretty State, now we have solar panels and wind turbines ruining our landscape. Our electric rates are high because of Democrat policies, net billing.
Pinhead doesn’t believe the rumor because he never tried to get busy with her. He’s a perv, not blind.
This is Bobby Charles campaign picture.
Remember what Epstein did Graham‘s gonna do the same thing.
Guilt my association….
Pingree said Sunday. “We need the highest standards in the country to prevent the kind of pollution, jacked up electricity rates, and abuse of communities that we’ve seen from data centers in other parts of the country.”
Sounds like a perfect democrat scam!