#LewistonME votes down #AI #DataCenter after public outcry

One councilor said the data center proposal for Bates Mill No. 3 yielded ‘by far’ the most public feedback he’s received on a single issue.

“It will house no one, feed no one, provide no beauty, and enrich no one’s lives, only the developer’s pockets. The downtown should be for people, not machines.”
—Jae Zimmermann, Lewiston resident

by Andrew Rice, December 17, 2025

"A plan for placing a $300 million artificial intelligence data center at Lewiston’s Bates Mill complex faced a wave of opposition Tuesday and was unanimously voted down by the City Council.

"Since the proposal to redevelop Bates Mill No. 3 into an 85,000-square-foot data center became public last week, city officials have been flooded with feedback from constituents, with many questioning whether the deal is worth it for Lewiston.

"Before the standing-room-only crowd could even begin public comment Tuesday, councilors said they would vote against the project due to the overwhelming outcry over the weekend and lingering questions about the project.

"The proposal by MillCompute LLC called for developing a 'Tier III' AI data center on two floors of the mill, with the upper two floors becoming 'modern office/innovation space for technology companies' and more.

However, officials have faced questions about the group behind the proposal, a tax deal that’s seen as favorable to the developer, and a storm of concerns over potential utility usage and environmental impacts that mirrors a national debate over the rise of AI data centers."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/12/16/lewiston-votes-down-ai-data-center-project-after-public-outcry/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/US5AR

#MaineResists #MaineResistsAI #AIDatacenters #ArtistsNotAI #ResistAI #ResistDatacenters

#LewistonME votes down #AI #DataCenter after public outcry

One councilor said the data center proposal for Bates Mill No. 3 yielded ‘by far’ the most public feedback he’s received on a single issue.

“It will house no one, feed no one, provide no beauty, and enrich no one’s lives, only the developer’s pockets. The downtown should be for people, not machines.”
—Jae Zimmermann, Lewiston resident

by Andrew Rice, December 17, 2025

"A plan for placing a $300 million artificial intelligence data center at Lewiston’s Bates Mill complex faced a wave of opposition Tuesday and was unanimously voted down by the City Council.

"Since the proposal to redevelop Bates Mill No. 3 into an 85,000-square-foot data center became public last week, city officials have been flooded with feedback from constituents, with many questioning whether the deal is worth it for Lewiston.

"Before the standing-room-only crowd could even begin public comment Tuesday, councilors said they would vote against the project due to the overwhelming outcry over the weekend and lingering questions about the project.

"The proposal by MillCompute LLC called for developing a 'Tier III' AI data center on two floors of the mill, with the upper two floors becoming 'modern office/innovation space for technology companies' and more.

However, officials have faced questions about the group behind the proposal, a tax deal that’s seen as favorable to the developer, and a storm of concerns over potential utility usage and environmental impacts that mirrors a national debate over the rise of AI data centers."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/12/16/lewiston-votes-down-ai-data-center-project-after-public-outcry/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/US5AR

#MaineResists #MaineResistsAI #AIDatacenters #ArtistsNotAI #ResistAI #ResistDatacenters

Amazon chose not to include all the ways its data centres use water because it didn’t want to negatively impact its reputation.

Amazon as a whole (including data centres) consumed 105bn gallons of water in total in 2021, as much as 958,000 US households, which would supply a city bigger than San Francisco. Those numbers are likely higher now.

At the same time, the company debuted a new ad campaign in November 2022 called “Water Positive,” (which is still running) with a promise to “return more water than it uses” by 2030. The company argues it should receive credits for water “offsets” or other projects that provide benefits elsewhere (think carbon credits).

The company continues to keep its current overall water consumption confidential.

#aidatacenters #aidatacentres #water

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/25/amazon-datacentres-water-use-disclosure

Amazon chose not to include all the ways its data centres use water because it didn’t want to negatively impact its reputation.

Amazon as a whole (including data centres) consumed 105bn gallons of water in total in 2021, as much as 958,000 US households, which would supply a city bigger than San Francisco. Those numbers are likely higher now.

At the same time, the company debuted a new ad campaign in November 2022 called “Water Positive,” (which is still running) with a promise to “return more water than it uses” by 2030. The company argues it should receive credits for water “offsets” or other projects that provide benefits elsewhere (think carbon credits).

The company continues to keep its current overall water consumption confidential.

#aidatacenters #aidatacentres #water

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/25/amazon-datacentres-water-use-disclosure