N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill signs bill to urge transparency from data center builders
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed a bill requiring data center companies to report their water and electricity usage to the State Board of Public Utilities every six months. This legislation aims to provide greater transparency to communities concerned about the resource consumption of data centers.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has signed a bill into law that aims to increase transparency from data center developers operating within the state. The announcement was made from the South Brunswick Public Library.
The new legislation mandates that data center companies report their water and electricity consumption to the State Board of Public Utilities on a biannual basis. This measure addresses existing concerns that data center usage statistics are often treated as trade secrets, making it difficult for local communities to assess their potential impact. For instance, the bill seeks to provide crucial information to towns, enabling them to understand if a data center's water consumption could be equivalent to that of 15,000 homes. This initiative will provide state officials and communities with essential data regarding the environmental footprint and resource demands of data center operations.