Jersey City Bans Data Centers In Unanimous Vote

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The second largest city in New Jersey has joined two dozen others in banning data center development within its borders.

Jersey City's council voted 9-0 at its meeting Wednesday night to block the artificial intelligence centers, with critics saying they're noisy and have a detrimental effect on resources.

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Jersey City's ordinance blocks new data centers from the industrial land where they would otherwise be built.

Local officials backing the ban said that land should go to employers who hire local workers instead of server farms that drive up utility bills and pollute the environment.

"Data centers eat up power, drive up utility bills for every ratepayer in this state, and employ almost nobody. Our industrial land should be put to work for the people who live here by creating real jobs with real wages," said Mayor James Solomon. "I appreciate the tireless work of climate advocates and the City Council ensuring Jersey City is protected."

Local officials worked with grassroots activists from Climate Revolution Action Network on the ban, said a spokesperson for that group.

Council members also called for a statewide moratorium on data center construction.

"Working families shouldn't be stuck with higher utility bills so private equity can profit from massive server farms," said Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, whose Jersey City Heights neighborhood borders Hoboken.

"Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while giving very little back to the communities that host them," said Ward B (west side) Councilman Joel Brooks. "...Now we need a statewide moratorium to slow this rush of development before it drives up costs and strains resources across New Jersey."

"Our industrial land should be used to create jobs and opportunity for the people of Jersey City," said downtown Councilwoman Eleana Little.

Towns including Bayonne and Red Bank have banned the centers so far.

This week, the mayor of Fair Lawn debunked rumors that a former Nabisco plant in that town might become a data center.

National Impacts

Residents across the country have said the centers are loud and have affected the water supply.

The federal government has argued that the centers are helpful to train artificial intelligence for important tasks.

But political consultants have recently warned candidates that the centers in residential areas are politically unpopular.

At least 24 towns in New Jersey, and states including Pennsylvania, have issued or proposed laws to curtail or ban the centers.