Dozens of N.J. organizations ask Gov. Sherrill to ban new data centers
Data-center opponents called the facilities “one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation.”
A coalition of New Jersey environmental, labor, and community leaders have a request for Gov. Mikie Sherrill: Stop building data centers in the Garden State.
Last week, representatives of more than 60 groups signed a letter asking the Democratic governor for a moratorium on the approval and construction of new facilities that use 20 megawatts of power or more.
“We know enough about data centers to be certain that the unchecked expansion of this aggressive industry is one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation,” Matt Smith, New Jersey Director for the environmental group Food & Water Watch, said in a statement. “This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for dirty energy, straining water resources, and raising electricity rates for families and small businesses.”
“New Jerseyans are paying the price,” he added, “while Big Tech rakes in the riches.”
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.
Sherrill, who took office in January, campaigned on a promise to declare a state of emergency on skyrocketing utility costs. She made good on the promise during her inauguration speech, and has since taken other steps that she says will lower residents’ bills. It’s unclear what impact her measures will make in light of the many factors, including data center demand, that influence customers’ bills.
The letter from New Jersey groups is one of the latest examples of organized opposition to data centers, which handle the cloud-storage and computing needs of tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
In Pennsylvania, residents from across the state have joined forces to oppose data centers, including in an online town hall last week. And state lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Katie Muth, of Montgomery County, have said they plan to introduce legislation that would temporarily ban the facilities statewide or empower municipalities to do so.
» READ MORE: Human reporters explain why AI data centers are so controversial in the Philly suburbs and beyond
As generative AI has increased the demand for these power-hungry facilities, and politicians on both sides of the aisle have encouraged their construction, more hyperscale data centers have been proposed and built across the country.
In the Philadelphia region, several are under construction. In Falls Township, Bucks County, Amazon is building a 2-million-square-foot data-center campus on the site of a former steel mill.
South Jersey’s first large-scale AI data center is being built in Vineland, Cumberland County. Its developer said the facility will power Microsoft’s AI tools.
Other centers have been proposed in Conshohocken, East Vincent Township, East Whiteland Township, and Limerick.
» READ MORE: Controversial AI data center proposal has been resurrected outside Conshohocken
Developers and other data-center proponents say the facilities bring in tax revenue, create jobs, make use of old industrial sites, and put towns on the cutting edge of a hot industry, all without straining school districts or emergency services.
Opponents, meanwhile, cite concerns about pollution, noise, power and water use, and the impact on their electric bills. Some also say they worry the AI boom is a bubble that could soon burst.
While some municipalities have issued moratoriums on new data centers, no state governments have done so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In New Jersey, the group leaders said in their letter to Sherrill that they would soon deliver a petition signed by thousands of residents who support a data-center moratorium.
