Kean voted four times to stop New Jersey from regulating AI data centers -
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. voted four times for a proposed 10-year federal moratorium that could have limited New Jersey’s ability to regulate AI systems and data centers. The moratorium was removed by the Senate, while New Jersey enacted the Data Center Fair Share Act to require large data centers to bear more of their electricity and infrastructure costs.
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. voted four times in 2025 to support a proposed federal moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence. The House provision would have barred states and local governments from enforcing many AI-related rules for 10 years and was broad enough that critics warned it could have affected data-center permitting, electricity rates, zoning and grid infrastructure. The Senate removed the provision before the broader legislation became law.
The issue gained significance after New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the Data Center Fair Share Act, which directs the Board of Public Utilities to establish special electricity-service standards and tariffs for large data centers. The law is intended to prevent residential customers from subsidizing data-center power demand and to protect against stranded infrastructure costs. The article also discusses political criticism of Kean’s votes and stock trading, as well as competing views from congressional Democrats and environmental organizations regarding federal and state oversight of AI data centers.