A citizen mobilization recently prompted a town in New Jersey to abandon a project to build a data center in its territory, a success that has become a symbol of a growing movement in the United States and has become a political issue.
Piles of rubble litter an empty lot in New Brunswick, about an hour’s drive from New York, bordered by a railway line and residential buildings.
It was on this former car production site that the investment company Amzak Capital Management planned to establish a data center. Nine days before a final vote by the city council in mid-February, residents learned about the project at a technical committee meeting and sounded the alarm.
Environmental Impact
A video that went viral, flyers distributed especially on the campus of Rutgers University located in New Brunswick, and on the day of the vote, over 300 people showed up to witness the vote in a room that can barely hold 80.
“Before even opening the floor to public questions, they announced that the data center was going to be removed from the project,” recounted Ben Dziobek, founder of the environmental organization Climate Revolution Action Network.
“Data centers ‘are becoming an important element of our modern economies,’ as they are necessary for the online services provided ‘to businesses, hospitals, universities, and residents,'” stated James Cahill, the mayor of New Brunswick, to AFP.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) has multiplied the demand for data centers, and dozens of projects are springing up all over the United States, in rural areas as well as in cities.”
In early March, seven major AI-leading companies committed to the U.S. government to offset their increased electricity needs through investments in new capacity.
According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, 65% of Americans are against the idea of having a data center in their community.
In 2025, cities like Chandler (Arizona) or College Station (Texas) had already blocked the arrival of a data center last year, without generating the same attention as the saga in New Brunswick.
“I really hope that this will set a precedent,” said C.J, “showing people that if they take action and publicly express their disagreement with these data centers, they have a chance to stop them.”
In the coming weeks, Maine could become the first state to impose a moratorium on the construction of these warehouses that house thousands, if not millions, of electronic chips, the backbone of the internet and AI.
In New Jersey, a state with the highest population density in the country, numerous bills are being studied, including one by Joe Danielsen, whose district includes New Brunswick.
While others, like Charlie Kratovil and Democratic figures Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are calling for a global suspension, he is demanding that strict guidelines be imposed on cloud computing giants.
“We know that these data centers are coming,” added Ben Dziobek. “We want feasibility studies, to understand the local impacts, and not rush ahead blindly.”
