FAIRFIELD — Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday that the Legislature’s failure to exempt the town of Jay from a data center moratorium is “a concern.”

“The bill arrived on my desk the other night,” she told reporters after an event in Fairfield. “I’m going to read it and give it due consideration.”

When asked specifically about the lack of a carveout for Jay, she said: “I heard that. Yeah. It’ll be a concern.”

Mills, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, said late last week that she wanted the legislation — which imposes a 16-month moratorium on data centers statewide to allow time for a study — to exempt the western Maine town of Jay. 

She said the town needs the jobs following the closure of a paper mill. Town leaders asked her to veto the bill or ensure that their project could go forward, arguing that it will not impact electricity prices or water quality.

Democrats in the Legislature passed the measure earlier this week, making Maine the first state to attempt to impose a temporary ban. But a Mills’ veto could doom that effort, unless the bill is amended to win her support.

The House and Senate will be back in Augusta on April 29 to consider any vetoes issued by Mills.