The NJ towns where furious residents are fighting giant data centers

New Jersey residents are expressing growing concern over the rapid construction of massive AI data centers across the state, many of which were approved years ago. This public awareness surged following a viral video showcasing the humming generators of a 2.6 million-square-foot AI data center in Vineland, a facility expected to draw 300 megawatts of power. Attention has also shifted to Union County, where CoreWeave, an AI cloud-computing company based in Livingston and backed by Nvidia, is converting a former Merck property in Kenilworth into a 400-square-foot data center. This project, greenlit in 2024 after Governor Phil Murphy signed state AI incentives legislation, involved CoreWeave leasing and later purchasing the site for $322 million. The widespread opposition has spurred a wave of local legislative action, with at least six New Jersey communities this year enacting bans or blocking data center construction. Pemberton Township in Burlington County was the first to adopt a prohibitory ordinance in February, followed by Phillipsburg in Warren County, Waterford Township in Camden County, and Monroe and Logan Township in Gloucester County. These ordinances frequently cite concerns over high electricity and water usage, and environmental protection. In Middlesex County, the New Brunswick City Council responded to public outcry on February 19 by removing data centers from a redevelopment plan for a 27,000-square-foot lot, a decision met with cheers from a large crowd. Similar prohibitory ordinances have been introduced in Millville and Harrison Township, with the latter's committee scheduled to vote on its measure in May.