Loud, power hungry - opposition grows to datacenters as Maine passes bit barn ban

Maine passed the first US statewide datacenter moratorium, pausing facility approvals over 20 megawatts until November 2027. The moratorium responds to resident and utility concerns over noise, power consumption, water usage, and grid strain as AI infrastructure expands rapidly—with examples including Meta's 5+ GW Louisiana Hyperion facility and Crusoe's 1+ GW Texas operations. The pause gives state officials time to assess environmental and community impacts.