A tech company called DeepGreen Western Passage wants to sink an artificial intelligence (AI) data center into the ocean off the coast of Eastport, Maine. In February 2026, the company filed for a federal permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin engineering and environmental studies — the first official step toward making this project permanent.

Eastport residents organized immediately. The Eastport Coalition for Healthy Oceans (ECHO) gathered nearly twice the required number of signatures to put a permanent ban on the November ballot. Their proposed ordinance would prohibit data centers larger than 25,000 square feet in Eastport and its coastal waters.

But the clock is running. If the Eastport City Council doesn't hold a public hearing and act on this certified petition, the ban won't appear on the November ballot — and Eastport's voters may never get a say. City Manager Brian Schuth has signaled the city is unlikely to challenge the project at this stage, calling a legal fight "cost-prohibitive" for a small city. Meanwhile, DeepGreen's federal permit process moves forward.

This is not a hypothetical threat. Washington County Commissioner David Burns wrote directly to DeepGreen in April, saying the project "would be too risky for this region and its waters." The Eastport City Council sent a letter saying the same. Now it's time for the council to back those words with action.

Sign this petition to demand the Eastport City Council schedule a public hearing and put the AI data center ban on the November ballot — before the federal permitting window closes.