Has Your Town Banned New Data Center Construction?

You may have heard a lot about data centers lately, but what exactly are they?

Simply put, a data center is a building filled with powerful computers that store and process information. They help keep everyday services running, like websites, online banking, streaming services, and artificial intelligence.

As technology grows so quickly, demand for data centers is increasing. But these facilities also use a lot of electricity and require cooling systems to keep everything running properly.

Data centers can bring jobs and tax revenue to a community, but they also raise questions about energy use, water consumption, and their impact on nearby neighborhoods.

It’s a big part of the technology we depend on every day, even if we don’t always realize it.

What New Jersey towns have full or partial bans on “data centers”?

According to a recent Patch report, according to Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN), these are the towns.

Alexandria (Hunterdon)
Allamuchy (Warren)
Alpha (Warren)
Andover Township (Sussex)
Andover Borough (Sussex)
Asbury Park (Monmouth)
Bass River (Burlington)
Bayonne (Hudson)
Berkeley Township (Ocean)
Berkeley Heights (Union)
Bernards (Somerset)
Blairstown (Warren)
Burlington Township (Burlington)
Carneys Point (Salem)
Cherry Hill (Camden)
Chesterfield (Burlington)
Clark (Union)
Clementon (Camden)
Collingswood (Camden)
Commercial (Cumberland)
Cranbury (Middlesex)
Cresskill (Bergen)
Deerfield (Cumberland)
Delanco (Burlington)
Delaware (Hunterdon)
East Brunswick (Middlesex)
East Greenwich (Gloucester)
East Orange (Essex)
East Windsor (Mercer)
Edgewater Park (Burlington)
Elizabeth (Union)
Elk (Gloucester)
Elsinboro (Salem)
Estell Manor (Atlantic)
Franklin Township (Gloucester)
Franklin Township (Somerset)
Frelinghuysen (Warren)
Galloway (Atlantic)
Glassboro (Gloucester)
Green (Sussex)
Hackettstown (Warren)
Hainesport (Burlington)
Hamilton Township (Atlantic)
Hampton (Sussex)
Hardyston (Sussex)
Harrison (Gloucester)
Highland Park (Middlesex)
Holland Township (Hunterdon)
Holmdel (Monmouth)
Howell (Monmouth)
Jackson (Ocean)
Jersey City (Hudson)
Kingwood (Hunterdon)
Knowlton (Warren)
Lebanon (Hunterdon)
Leonia (Bergen)
Liberty (Warren)
Logan (Gloucester)
Lopatcong (Warren)
Madison (Morris)
Manchester (Ocean)
Mannington (Salem)
Mansfield Township (Burlington)
Mansfield Township (Warren)
Mantua (Gloucester)
Medford (Burlington)
Millstone (Monmouth)
Millville (Cumberland)
Monroe Township (Gloucester)
Montgomery (Somerset)
Neptune Township (Monmouth)
New Providence (Union)
North Brunswick (Middlesex)
North Hanover (Burlington)
North Plainfield (Somerset)
Old Bridge (Middlesex)
Oldmans (Salem)
Peapack-Gladstone (Somerset)
Pemberton Township (Burlington)
Pennsville (Salem)
Phillipsburg (Warren)
Pilesgrove (Salem)
Pittsgrove Township (Salem)
Plainfield (Union)
Plumsted (Ocean)
Pohatcong (Warren)
Quinton (Salem)
Red Bank (Monmouth)
Ridgefield Park (Bergen)
Rockaway (Morris)
Roselle Park (Union)
Sayreville (Middlesex)
Shamong (Burlington)
South Plainfield (Middlesex)
Sparta (Sussex)
Stafford (Ocean)
Summit (Union)
Tinton Falls (Monmouth)
Union (Union)
Upper Pittsgrove Township (Salem)
Upper Township (Cape May)
Vernon (Sussex)
Warren Township (Somerset)
Washington Borough (Warren)
Washington Township (Gloucester)
Washington Township (Warren)
Waterford (Camden)
West Amwell (Hunterdon)
Woodstown (Salem)

I have never visited a “data center” so I haven’t seen a center at work and how it is impacting a community.

New Jersey has banned more data centers, “a number that reportedly tops any other state in the nation”.

Who Supports Building Data Centers in New Jersey?

According to Patch, “Supporters of data centers say they’re needed to keep pace in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.”

Who Do Not Support Building More Data Centers in New Jersey?

“Critics allege that they consume too much power and water – jacking up utility bills and straining the local electricity grid.”

According to reports, More than 2.3 million people in New Jersey now live in communities that have banned data centers.

That’s nearly one in four residents, and the issue is getting attention in towns across the state, regardless of political party or location.

How do you feel about “data centers”?