New Jersey environmental groups push for statewide moratorium on data centers

Advocates warn that facilities threaten water supplies, public health, and the power grid

More than 60 environmental, labor, community, and grassroots organizations are calling on Gov. Mikie Sherrill to impose a moratorium on new data centers in New Jersey, warning that the rapidly growing industry threatens the state’s electric grid, water supply, environment, and local communities.

In a letter submitted Thursday, the coalition urged Sherrill to use emergency powers to temporarily halt approvals and construction of new data centers while state officials study the long-term impacts of the facilities.

Communities across the state are increasingly opposing proposed projects, particularly in the Pinelands region, where several municipalities have already moved to block data centers through local ordinances.

“The Pinelands communities are quickly passing ordinances banning data centers, including Pemberton, Monroe, and North Hanover, and there is an overwhelming number of mayors expressing interest in doing the same,” said Jaclyn Rhoads, executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is fueling demand for massive computing facilities, often without residents realizing the infrastructure could be built near residential neighborhoods.

A recent poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that 65% of registered voters support banning the construction of new data centers until more power plants can be built. A petition supporting a moratorium has nearly reached 7,500 signatures.

“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,” said Matt Smith, the New Jersey director for Food & Water Watch. “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 while Big Tech rakes in the riches. Enacting a moratorium is logical, it’s timely, and it will deliver the results we need.”

John Reichman, a steering committee member of EmpowerNJ, said the state lacks a comprehensive plan to address the impact of large-scale data centers.

“Governor Sherrill has recognized that New Jersey’s rising electric rates is a crisis and that data centers drive up those rates,” Reichman said. “Even a mid-size 20 MW data center uses as much electricity as the governor’s hometown of Montclair, which has a population of nearly 40,000. Yet New Jersey is being overrun with data centers without a plan in place to meet the economic and environmental harm they are and will be causing.”

“We need a moratorium now to establish policies that ensure any new data centers pay their own way, do not burden other ratepayers, are located in communities that want them, do not harm our water and the environment, and provide benefits that outweigh their costs,” Reichman said.

The coalition also raised concerns about cooling systems used at some facilities that may involve chemicals linked to PFAS contamination. Some cooling technologies use fluorinated substances associated with forever chemicals, which persist in the environment and have been linked to cancer, liver and kidney disease, birth defects, and other health problems.

“At a time when water is more precious than ever, we cannot let data centers suck up all of the Garden State’s water then spit it back out full of PFAS and other toxic contaminants,” said Amy Goldsmith, New Jersey state director of Clean Water Action. “These closed-loop cooling systems leak like a sieve, exposing workers and communities to their health harms on a 24/7 basis. NJ cannot keep up with current PFAS levels found in soil, water, and air. We certainly do not need the proliferation of a new statewide source.”

Goldsmith said that a moratorim on data centers is a logical first step given that Sherrill has said that her administration will prioritize addressing PFAS contamination.

Across New Jersey, municipalities are increasingly pursuing data centers as economic development projects because they promise jobs and tax revenue. But opponents argue that the facilities place enormous demands on electricity, land, and water resources.

“Gen Z are fighting data center projects in over a dozen municipalities across New Jersey because young people are overwhelmingly rejecting the idea that our future should be handed over to Big Tech and private equity companies,” said Ben Dziobek, executive director of the Climate Revolution Action Network. “This is not a left versus right issue. It’s about protecting the character of our communities, keeping electric bills affordable for working people, and stopping corporations from polluting our neighborhoods for profit.”

Dziobek said a statewide ban on new data centers is a critical step to slow this industry down before the full impacts on the power grid, public health, water supplies, and local communities become irreversible.

Residents from several New Jersey communities also voiced opposition to proposed developments.

“These data centers are trying to move into our communities through backroom conversations and quiet approvals without residents ever truly being heard. That is completely unacceptable. Our neighborhoods should not be sacrificed for Big Tech profits, and that’s why we need a data center ban,” said Ryan Mistichelli, a resident of East Greenwich.

Birdie Green of the Sussex County Visibility Brigade said residents will stand together to protect the Garden State.

“There’s nothing that unites people more than protecting their home. These data centers threaten our safety and the peace of every resident in New Jersey,” Green said.

Jenna Reddick, a resident of Bayonne, said the state must protect its residents instead of lining the pockets of corporations.

“For New Jersey to be called the Garden State while allowing something to be built that actively poisons its people and land is shameful,” Reddick said. “How can we take pride in that title when these allowances are being made with no regard?”

Aleasha Whipple, a resident of Monroe Township, said industrial development of this kind needs to be strategically planned and local and regional officials could use help from the state.

“Much more information should be known about the detrimental impacts before we build these sites all over New Jersey,” Whipple said.