Asbury Park calls for statewide freeze on data center construction
The city is citing concerns over the impact on the electrical grid and local resources.
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Asbury Park has become the latest New Jersey municipality to take a stand against the construction of AI data centers.
On June 10, the City Council adopted a resolution urging Gov. Mikie Sherrill to implement a statewide moratorium on new data center facilities, as well as a temporary pause on any pending or future data center applications or site plans in Asbury Park. The resolution received unanimous support from members of the governing body.
According to a statement on the city's website, officials say the construction of large-scale data centers puts stress on regional electrical grids and water resources. The facilities may also result in air and noise pollution from backup generators.
In the resolution, the city also points out that the pace at which data centers are being approved and built could outpace the ability of towns to mitigate any effects they might have.
"This is bigger than any one project. Data centers of this scale need land, water, and power that a city like ours just doesn't have to spare, and honestly, we're built out already," said Mayor John Moor. "But it's not just about us. Every town in this state needs time to get this right before it's too late."
New Jersey is already home to dozens of data centers, and towns throughout the state have voted on similar resolutions to prevent the construction of new data centers. A rally was held Wednesday night in Kenilworth prior to their Borough Council meeting, where residents were speaking out against a 400,000-square-foot data center that's under construction. Those who attended the meeting were concerned that additional facilities will be approved.
Last month, Gov. Sherrill outlined a four-part plan requiring data centers to report electricity and water usage, create jobs, and pay for the resources they use.
