Linden joins growing list of New Jersey municipalities banning AI data centers
The Linden City Council approved an ordinance banning artificial intelligence data centers in the city, citing concerns about their electricity and water consumption, environmental effects, noise, and potential utility costs. The decision follows months of local organizing and comes as advocates push New Jersey lawmakers to consider a three-year statewide moratorium on new data center construction.
Linden City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting AI data centers in the Union County city, which has extensive industrial zoning and hosts refineries, power plants and logistics facilities. Mayor Derek Armstead said the facilities’ heavy electricity and water demands may not produce enough permanent jobs or economic benefits to justify the impacts, while Councilman Eloy Delgado cited unresolved public-health and natural-resource concerns.
The ordinance was supported by local residents and the Climate Revolution Action Network, a youth-led organization advocating for data center restrictions across New Jersey. Environmental advocates are using Linden’s action to urge New Jersey state lawmakers to enact a three-year moratorium on new data center construction.