Graham Platner Unveils Energy Plan with National Rate Freeze, Backs Data Center Moratorium

Progressive energy populism may soon reshape control of the U.S. Congress. On Friday, Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate from Maine, unveiled an energy plan that includes a call for a national electricity rate freeze to address soaring power prices—costs many attribute to the rapid expansion of data centers to meet surging demand.

Notably, Platner’s energy plan did not include direct measures targeting data centers themselves. However, in a follow-up interview the next day, Platner shared deeper concerns about the technology and revealed that his campaign is developing a dedicated policy addressing artificial intelligence and data centers.

“I am extremely worried about, one, just AI as a general concept — the impact it’s going to have on the labor force, its impact on things like mass surveillance and manipulation of people and markets. Those things terrify me.”

“We are dealing with a technology and a reality that we have done absolutely no regulatory preparation for, and that is utterly terrifying with something that seems to be as big and expensive and impactful as AI and the infrastructure necessary to power it.”

While Platner avoided explicitly endorsing a nationwide moratorium on data centers during the interview, he has previously voiced strong support for such a measure. During a March 6 conversation with environmental activists considering an endorsement, Platner was asked whether he supports halting the rapid buildout of data centers and whether he would cosponsor legislation introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to temporarily ban new data center projects.

“Yes and yes. That’s probably the easiest question I’m going to get asked today,”

According to a recording of the internal call shared with Food and Water Watch, Platner responded affirmatively. The organization, along with three other groups, endorsed his campaign the following Tuesday. Platner’s campaign declined to comment on the recording.

The stakes of Platner’s Senate bid could not be higher for Democrats. The seat is among a handful that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Platner, a 41-year-old first-time politician and oyster farmer, is challenging 73-year-old five-term incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Maine, a key battleground in modern energy politics, faces some of the highest electricity rates in the nation. The state has also experienced some of the steepest annual cost increases; electricity bills have risen at least 8.3% in the past year alone, according to data from Heatmap and MIT’s Electricity Price Hub. Further price hikes are expected. Though Maine has seen far less data